


Supernatural High

by afaithfulwriter890



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angel Castiel, Angel Wings, Angel/Demon Relationship, Angst with a Happy Ending, Daddy Issues, F/M, Fluff and Angst, High School, Humor, M/M, POV Adam Milligan, POV Castiel, POV Dean Winchester, POV Lucifer, POV Sam Winchester, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Teen Angst, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 21:07:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 44
Words: 69,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2165241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afaithfulwriter890/pseuds/afaithfulwriter890
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam attend Supernatural High, a high school for all things Supernatural. Along the way, they meet a bunch of colorful characters including the nerdy angel in a trench coat, Castiel, a trickster named Gabriel, and Crowley, the king of the school, who apparently is out to ruin Castiel. Meanwhile, Adam Milligan is struggling with the new feelings he harbors for Michael, the archangel. And Lucifer, who is trying to repair his relationship with Michael and keep his demonic girlfriend satisfied, is not pleased when he discovers his brothers' feelings for the Winchester boys. And just when things reach what everyone thinks is the epitome of their conflict, a new, darker, and deadlier foe appears on the horizon. Those who were once enemies must put aside their differences and stand together against this new villain who may or may not have ties to our heroes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

          Cas followed his brothers and sisters as they filed into the front doors of the school. No matter how hard he tried, he could not suppress the feelings of anxiety that were beginning to rise up inside him. He had lived a relatively happy and safe life for a long time, but now he had to venture out into a different world – a crueler world. Out here, the comforting walls of Heaven could not protect him. He felt almost exposed as he walked crossed the threshold into the building where he would be spending the majority of the next four years of his life. He knew that his brothers and sisters were all around him, but that didn’t change the fact that they were not only going to a school with other supernatural beings, but _demons._

          Castiel had never met a demon before, and he wasn’t exactly eager to. His older brothers, Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel had already spent three years at the school, and knew plenty of demons. However, none of them ever shed much light on them. Michael rarely even looked at demons – he considered himself too high-and-mighty to do something like that. Raphael copied his older brother, and had long ago adopted a similar attitude. Lucifer, on the other hand, seemed to adore the demons. He made friends with them, sat with them at lunch, went to parties with them – and all the demons seemed to adore him. They treated him like he was some kind of king. Or at least that was what Castiel heard. But even with that bit of information, it still didn’t tell him much about how demons actually acted. The only one he could ever go to for useful information was Gabriel, but even he seemed to have sealed lips on the matter. “Just wait until you meet, them, Cassie,” he had told his younger brother when he’d asked about the demons. “You can come to your own conclusions then.”

          Gabriel was the kindest, and most reliable out of all of Castiel’s siblings. It was because of this that Gabriel was the one Castiel was closest to. Castiel loved all of his siblings – even the pompous Michael, and the occasionally cruel Lucifer – but Gabriel was the one he found himself getting along with the best. Balthazar, however, was a close second. The three of them were very close-knit, the same way Anna and Uriel stayed together, and how Michael, Raphael, and Lucifer kept to their own little group despite Lucifer’s fascination with demons. They each loved one another, but they spent the most time with those they were most compatible with, or at least that is what Gabriel had told Castiel when he asked about it. However, that explanation did little to answer the younger angel’s question. Michael and Lucifer could hardly stand each other anymore – every time they were within a ten-foot radius of each other, they would end up having some kind of argument, or they’d try to rip the other’s throat out.

          As Castiel stepped into the main hallway of the school, he watched as his siblings parted. Everyone seemed to know where they were going – everyone except him. Castiel stood there, looking around doe-eyed at his new surroundings. There were people his age everywhere – humans, shape-shifters, werewolves, vampires, skin-walkers, demons, etc. – hustling and bustling about. Most stood at their assigned lockers putting backpacks in and taking books out.

          “Cassie.”

          The angel looked up to see Gabriel standing there. His older wore a white polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants. Castiel had to admit that he looked rather sophisticated, even though he had heard Lucifer teasing him about his look earlier that morning. “You’re just trying to impress Kali, aren’t you?” the other archangel had sneered. Gabriel had waved him off, but Castiel had a feeling that Lucifer had hit the nail on the head.

          “You’re gonna be late, kiddo,” Gabriel informed him, his eyes snapping to the clock that hung on a nearby wall. “Better get to your locker and start unpacking.”

          Castiel nodded numbly. How was he supposed to find anything in this place? “Do you know where mine is?” he asked, feeling foolish. He should have to ask his big brother for help!

          Gabriel sighed, but nodded compliantly. “What’s the number?”

          “2294,” Castiel answered.

          “Alright, second floor . . . I think it should be to the right,” his brother said, his brow furrowing slightly. After a moment of silence, he gave him a nod. “See ya at lunch, bro.”

          Castiel watched as his brother headed off to his first period class. Realizing he had better hurry up unless he wanted to be late, Castiel hurried to the nearest flight of stairs and began to ascend. He knew that he could probably use his wings and get there much faster, but he had no idea if he would be allowed. Gabriel had informed him that things at the school were different than they were in Heaven. There were certain restrictions – for example, students were not allowed to use any powers they may possess while on school grounds. Castiel didn’t know if flying qualified as a “power”, but he didn’t want to risk it.

          As he reached the second floor, Castiel took a right turn. The hallways were still heavily populated with students, which gave him relief. He began to scan the locker numbers, looking for his own. In fact, he was so preoccupied looking for his number, that he wasn’t looking where he was going. Castiel had no idea that anyone was even in his path until he slammed into something as hard as stone. The skinny angel hit the immovable mass with such force that he bounced off it and hit the ground with a soft thud.

          “Watch where you’re goin’, feathers,” a voice with a thick, Scottish accent sneered.

          Castiel looked up to see a young man dressed in all black standing there. His hair was short, and as dark as his clothing. He was short – shorter than Castiel, but obviously heavier and apparently stronger. He also had a couple crones standing beside him who looked even more intimidating.

          “Sorry,” Castiel apologized quickly. This was his first day – the last thing he wanted was to make a bad impression. “I didn’t see you.”

          “ _Obviously,_ ” the man replied. “You nearly knocked me off my feet, you know? I can’t have that – this suit is new, after all. The next time you bump me, I won’t be so forgiving.”

          Castiel nodded submissively. As much as he disliked getting scolded, he didn’t want to start any fights. He also couldn’t help but notice the crowd that was beginning to gather around him. “I’m sorry, okay? It won’t happen again.”

          “See that it doesn’t,” the boy with the Scottish accent replied. Without warning, his eyes flashed completely black. Castiel stared at them, stunned. They were completely obsidian – no pupils, no variation in color – just complete blackness. They were abysmal, and yet lifeless all at once.

          “You’re a demon,” Castiel stated.

          The demon’s eyes flashed back to normal, and he smirked. “And you’re an angel. Name’s Crowley; what’s yours, sweetheart?”

          “Castiel.”

          “Well, great, Castiel. Now that we all know each other . . . I say we give you something to remember us demons by, since you don’t seem to know much about us.”

          “Leave him alone, Crowley!” a new, deeper voice growled.

          Castiel turned to see a very handsome man step forward from the crowd. The angel had to struggle to keep his mouth from falling open. The man before him was gorgeous – short, gelled blond hair, evergreen eyes, a beautifully-sculpted body – but that wasn’t what really took Castiel’s breath away. It was the man’s soul. It shone so brightly – so proudly. And it was so . . . _pure_ , and good – Castiel had never seen a soul like it.

          “Ah . . . Dean,” Crowley addressed the green-eyed man, disinterest apparent in his voice. “What can I do for you?”

          “Leave the new kid alone,” Dean ordered. “He didn’t do anything to you.”

          “He bumped me! I was simply going to remind him to not do it again,” Crowley replied sharply. Castiel could see that the demon’s patience was running thin.

          “I think he got the message,” Dean answered roughly. His voice had gotten significantly deeper, and there seemed to be an unspoken dare in his voice. It was as if he was secretly saying to Crowley: “Do you really want to do this?”

          Crowley gave Dean an indignant sniff. He smoothed out his suit and took off in the opposite direction, his demon cronies following him. As Crowley left, the crowd began to disperse. Castiel turned to face his hero, who still stood there, watching the demon go with narrowed eyes.

          “Thank y—”

          “Shut up,” Dean snapped, rolling his eyes. Castiel recoiled as if he’d been slapped. “You’re lucky I was here. Seriously, how stupid are you? Almost picking a fight with Crowley on the first day? You do know he practically _rules_ this school, right? Your reputation will be ruined by lunchtime.”

          Castiel’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I hardly see how my reputation matters. I didn’t come here to be amiable. I came here so I could take the courses I needed to so I could get out. Besides, I apologized to him. Twice.”

          Dean looked at him then, and their eyes locked. Castiel stared at Dean for what seemed like an eternity. He could have gotten lost in those bright jade-green eyes, if it weren’t for the even brighter soul that was constantly calling for his attention. “I’m Dean Winchester,” he said, stretching out a hand.

          “I’m Castiel.”

          Dean groaned. “Damn it. With a name like that . . . You’re an angel, aren’t you?”  
          Castiel was confused as to why Dean seemed displeased by this. “Yes.”

          “Just my luck,” he grumbled. “I hate angels – they’re dicks with wings.”

          “I take offense to that,” Castiel pointed out, surprised by the own harshness in his voice. A part of him was devastated to hear that. Is that really what this Dean saw him as?

          Dean cursed and shook his head. “Hell, I didn’t mean you, I—”

          That’s when the bell rang.

          “Damn it, I gotta go,” Dean mumbled before rushing off in the direction of his first period class.

          Castiel sighed. He hadn’t even found his locker yet, and first period was starting in five minutes. _Brilliant start, Castiel. Just brilliant._


	2. Chapter 2

          Dean Winchester hated angels; hated them with a burning passion. He thought they were all dicks with wings, especially that Michael. His brother Lucifer wasn’t much better. As for the other angels – and there were more than Dean could ever hope to count – he didn’t know much about. The only ones he actually knew were Michael, Lucifer, Zachariah, and Raphael, and neither of them were very friendly. Michael was arrogant, and self-righteous, and Raphael was so far up his brother’s ass, that Dean was almost certain that one day the two of them would morph into one being. Lucifer was equally arrogant, but at the same time, more humble. He had a silver-tongue could easily win people over, and soft, puppy-dog eyes to go with it. Dean, of course, knew better than to buy into whatever Lucifer was trying to sell. Zachariah – who had once been Dean’s partner for a Chemistry project – wasn’t much better. It was clear after the first five minutes of working together that Zachariah believed that Dean the “human”, as he had ungraciously called him, was incompetent of producing anything intelligent. The only bright side of working with him was that he did all the work, and Dean got an easy A. Of course, Dean still resented being treated like a mindless idiot.

          When Dean saw Castiel standing in the hallway, facing off with Crowley, only one thought came to mind: _Look at this little shit._ And he thought that with the upmost affection. Castiel was standing there across from Crowley wearing a tan _trench coat_ of all things, with jaw set, and looking as if he was ready to jump into a defensive position at any moment. And it wasn’t just that that got Dean’s attention – it took balls to stand there in front of Crowley and a judgmental ground and hold your own. Of course, Castiel had apologized, but he said it with a note of finalism, as if he didn’t care whether the demon accepted it or not. Castiel had managed the situation relatively well . . . at least until Crowley began to threaten to “teach him a lesson”. That was when Dean had to intervene.

          He didn’t know why he did it. He liked to believe that it was because he loved giving Crowley a hard time whenever the opportunity arose. But he wasn’t quite sure that _that_ was what spurred him out to Castiel’s rescue. There was something about that small, skinny, nerdy-looking angel that made Dean want to protect him in that moment. Then again, he didn’t know that Castiel was an angel at the time. He hadn’t heard him say his name to Crowley, and didn’t know what he was until he had already saved the kid’s ass.

          Yet, as he walked to first period, he still could not push the nerdy angel from his mind.

          As Dean walked into his Trigonometry class, he saw Michael and Lucifer already there. The two brothers were on opposite sides of the room – Michael on the side parallel to the door, and Lucifer across from him. Lucifer was standing next to the school’s demon-whore, Meg, which wasn’t surprising. All the demons loved Lucifer for some reason, except Crowley. Crowley hated his guts, but then again, Crowley pretty much despised everyone, and yet still found ways to use them to his advantage. Lucifer seemed to be doing the same thing, just with a different strategy. Crowley offered something in return for their services, Lucifer simply sweet-talked them into doing what he asked.

          “Hey, Dean,” a female voice snapped Dean out of his thoughts of angels and demons. He turned to see his best friend, and fellow human, Jo Harvelle standing there.

          “Hey, Jo,” he replied with a smile. If there was one person on the planet apart from his younger brother, Sammy, that Dean loved, it was Jo. He didn’t love her in a romantic way, but as a sister. Once upon a time, they had tried out the whole “romance” thing, but it didn’t sit well with either of them. And Dean was fine with that. As much as he liked Jo, he liked partying and sleeping around more. He liked not being tied down by a relationship. He liked being free to wander wherever and do whatever he pleased.

          Jo returned the smile, and walked back to her seat in the back of the classroom. Dean followed, and claimed the seat beside her. Dean couldn’t help but notice how Jo would glance in Lucifer’s direction every now and them. At first, Dean was going to call her on it – maybe even tease her about it, but then he realized that she wasn’t looking at the angel, but at the demon beside him.

          “You got a beef with Meg, or somethin’?” he asked, quiet enough so no one would overhear.

          The petit blond gave him a stern look and shook her head, only to falter a second later. “I don’t know . . .” she sighed, her gaze drifting back to the red-haired demon. “I just . . . Every guy in this school notices her.”

          “She’s a slut, Jo,” Dean pointed out. “Every guy that notices her is clearly just lookin’ for a chance to get between her legs. And they know that she’ll let ’em too.”

          Jo looked away, trying to hide some emotion that Dean couldn’t decipher. Before he could inquire about it, the final bell rang, signaling the start of not only the school day, but the first day of Dean’s senior year. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. Yeah, he had about two thirds of a year left in this hell, but at least he wouldn’t have to come back afterward.

          He saw Jo pull out a notebook from the corner of his eye and let out a small chuckle. Jo was a tomboy – always had been, always would be. But damn could she be a straight edge sometimes, especially when it came to schoolwork. Always the diligent student, she was. The classroom had pretty much filled up. There was a relatively even mix in this class – Dean and Jo were the only humans, but that was nothing new. Few humans attended Supernatural High, the main reason being that it might be emotionally scarring for most kids to be sent to a school where angels, demons, werewolves, vampires, and so forth were the norm. Some might say that the human kids that _did_ go there were already messed up in the head, or at least would be by the time their four years were up, but Dean disagreed. Dean took pride in the fact that he went to a school full of monsters. He liked being one of the select few that, in his mind, were deemed strong enough to attend.

          Dean stifled a yawn as the teacher entered the room and introduced herself. He’d heard this introductory lecture before, and he’d hear it seven more times before the school day was out. He didn’t know why the first day was so important anyway – it was a full day of _nothing_. Instead of sitting through one of his teacher’s boring anecdotes about her life that she was clearly trying too hard to tie into Trigonometry, Dean put his head down and closed his eyes.

          As he began to drift off, Dean was surprised (and slightly disturbed) to find a nerdy angel in a trench coat occupying most of his thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

          Sam Winchester hated changing schools. He hated being the new kid. He hated having to make new friends. He hated being looked at, and examined like he was some kind of bizarre species. He hated school period.

          Maybe it was because of the way he grew up. From the time he was old enough to remember, he and his family had lived on the road. Their father, John Winchester, was constantly traveling from place-to-place to work, often leaving Sam and his older brother, Dean, alone in dingy motel rooms for hours at a time. John’s job was inconsistent and unpredictable. One day, they’d been staying in Cincinnati, Ohio. The next they might be down in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was almost impossible for Sam and Dean to go school like normal children.

          John did his best to look after both of them, make sure they got an education, and hold down his crazy job. When Sam was little, he had no idea what his dad was. Dean had told him once that their father was a mechanic. When Sam pointed out that there were hardly any other cars around apart from the ’67 Impala their dad owned, Dean told him to shut up and eat his cereal. When Sam finally did find out what their father did, things began to make sense, and yet, at the same time, they were extremely confusing. As Sam got older, he began to understand John’s work more, and eventually began learning the “family business” along with Dean. Sam was a good hunter – like his father. He could hunt anything – demon, vampire, werewolf, shape-shifter – but he hated it. He hated “the life” with a passion. He didn’t want to be a brooding, angst-y, violent hunter. He wanted to have a normal life. He wanted to go to Stanford and become a lawyer. He wanted to get married, and have a family. He didn’t want to hunt monsters for the rest of his life.

          Sam actually thought he might be able to do it. He thought he might be able to escape the life that his father was trying to shove down his throat, and then they learned about Supernatural High. John had only heard rumors about the place, and didn’t believe that it was real. That was, until their headmaster called him up and asked if Dean and Sam would be interested in going there.

          Dean had been stoked about the opportunity. Even though the headmaster had reiterated over and over that killing the monsters – no matter how evil they may seem – was absolutely prohibited, Dean was still excited. Sam, on the other hand, pitched a fit at the mere thought of it. He wanted to get away from all of this, not become even more involved! Plus, how was he going to get into Stamford if he didn’t have a GED from an _actual_ high school? When he told his dad about all this, John just shrugged it off. “Don’t worry Sam,” he’d said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You can go into that school – see how the monsters think! How they interact with one another – really get to know them! Imagine how much easier it will be to hunt them!”

          Sam wanted to point out that he didn’t _want_ to be a hunter, but he bit his tongue. He knew better than to argue with John Winchester when he already had his mind set on something. He could kick and scream all he wanted, but he was going to that high school whether he liked it or not.

          And now, he was sitting in fourth period biology class. Most of his class were older students – sophomores and juniors mostly. There were a few seniors, and one just happened to be sitting next to him. Gabriel – the _archangel Gabriel_ – sat at his table, as his lab partner. When Sam had arrived for class at the beginning of the period, the archangel had already been in his seat. Once Sam sat down and had gotten situated, the angel had introduced himself. Sam had just sat there in shock for a few moments.

          He couldn’t wrap his arm around the fact that an archangel _was his lab partner._

          “You’re that human kid, right?” Gabriel had asked when Sam remained silent in a state of awe. “Winchester?”

          Sam had nodded, his mouth dry. “Yeah.”

          Gabriel had nodded and said nothing more as class began.

          Now, as it began to wind down, the archangel turned to him again. “So . . . what d’ya think of it, kiddo?”

          Sam looked over at him, pulling a book cover onto his textbook. “What do I think of what?” Sam asked, struggling to keep the textbook in place as he stretched the elastic cover across its front.

          “The school, Samsquatch.”

          Sam frowned at the nickname. It wasn’t his fault that he was a six foot tall freshman. “Don’t call me Samsquatch,” he mumbled weakly.

          Gabriel arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “How about Gigantor?”

          “Shut up,” Sam snapped. His voice sounded harsher than he had meant for it to, but it got the archangel to shut up. As he finally got his book cover on, Sam let out a breathy sigh. He silently prayed that the teacher would change seats next semester, but something told him he wouldn’t be that lucky.

          “Sorry I put your panties in a bunch, princess,” Gabriel suddenly spoke again.

          Sam shot him a glare, but saw genuine remorse on the archangel’s face. Even though his voice was sharp, and sarcastic, Sam swore he saw guilt on his face. Not being the type to hold a grudge, Sam let out a small sigh and nodded. “It’s okay. I just . . . don’t like being tall.”

          Gabriel snorted. “Are you serious? I would kill to be tall. I’m a freakin’ senior. You’re a freshman, and standing beside you, I look like a dwarf. If I was tall, I would totally use it to my advantage! Stuff freshman in lockers . . . hide things from shorter people in high places . . . beat up Michael . . . It’d be great!”

          Sam had to smirk at Gabriel’s ideas. “Well, aren’t you some powerful archangel? Can’t you just . . . make yourself taller?”

          Gabriel smiled ruefully. “I can’t really . . . You see, for us angels to be able to inhabit earth, we have to have a vessel. My vessel just happened to be really, really short.”

          Sam began to smile, but then stopped. “Wait . . . vessel? You mean . . . you’re possessing someone?”

          The archangel rolled his eyes. “You make it sound so dramatic, kiddo.”

          “But you are, right?”

          “Basically . . . but it’s not the same way a demon possesses. They can get inside anyone they want . . . Wow, that sounded wrong. Anyway, angels can’t do that. We have to have permission from the human we are going to possess. And this guy – Richard – I asked him if I could use him on earth, and he said yes.”

          Sam’s eyebrows furrowed. “So . . . these humans wanted this?”

          Gabriel nodded. “Yep, pretty much.”

          Just as he was about to say something else, the bell rung, signifying the end of the period. Sam got up and began to gather his books together. “Hey, kiddo,” Gabriel said, watching him closely. “You got a place to sit at lunch?”

          Sam brushed his dark brown bangs out of his eyes, and shrugged. “I’ll probably just sit with my brother, Dean.”

          “Oh, okay,” the archangel said. His voice sounded oddly tight . . . almost disappointed. “Well, see ya tomorrow, kiddo.”

          “Yeah . . .” Sam said, watching as the archangel walked toward the door. “See you.”


	4. Chapter 4

      Lucifer played with the mashed potatoes on his lunch tray. As much as he would have liked to sit a couple table over with Meg and some of the other demons he had befriended, he knew that he should spend some time with his brothers and sisters as well.

      Gabriel was seated to his right, seeming to be lost in thought. Lucifer couldn’t help but notice that his younger brother had hardly touched his lunch. Castiel – the youngest of the family – was on the other side of Gabriel looking equally distracted. Before Lucifer could inquire, Balthazar spoke up.

      “What is eating you two?” he asked from his seat across the table. Balthazar was sitting on the end of the table, directly across from Lucifer. Raphael was on his left, and Michael was next to Raphael. As Lucifer caught his older brother’s gaze, he couldn’t help but notice how cold Michael looked. Ever since Lucifer had gotten friendly with Meg and the other demons, Michael had practically shunned him. Lucifer didn’t understand why Michael hated demons so much – he never even had a conversation with one! If Michael would just give them a chance—

      “Nothing,” Gabriel snapped at his younger brother, breaking Lucifer’s train of thought.

      He looked over at Gabriel. The archangel seemed very distracted and edgy this afternoon. “Yeah, sure, Gabe,” Lucifer muttered. “You’re perfectly fine.”

      Gabriel gave him a glare before stabbing his pizza with a fork. “Winchester,” he grumbled.

      “What was that?” Michael asked gruffly.      

      Lucifer glowered at his older brother. Since when did Michael care about Gabriel? Since when did Michael care about _anyone_? _If he thinks he can just butt into a conversation and_ pretend _to be a part of this family, then he can suck my dick. He doesn’t know what family is. With him, it’s always “look out for number one”. Douchebag._

      “I think he said Winchester,” Balthazar commented. “You mean the gun Winchester?”

      “He means the family,” Castiel suddenly piped up.

      Lucifer looked down the table at his younger brother Castiel rarely spoke up, but when he did, it was usually something important. While Lucifer, Gabriel, and Balthazar always liked to BS, the others – Castiel, Michael, Raphael, Anna, and Uriel – were almost always strictly business. Lucifer didn’t know how they could live like that. What was life without a little fun? His brothers and sister always acted like having fun was some kind of terrible sin.

      “There’s a family called the Winchesters?” Michael asked, suddenly very curious.

      Lucifer bit back a smart remark and remained silent, glowering at his mashed potatoes.

      “Yeah . . . they’re humans.”

      Balthazar let out an amused chuckle. “And I suppose these Winchesters are what has attracted your attention as well, Cassie?” he teased affectionately.

      Lucifer watched with amusement as Castiel’s ears turned red and he suddenly became very sheepish. “You don’t know anything, Balthazar.”

      “Aww, is Cassie in love?” Uriel teased, giving the smaller angel a rough shove.

      Lucifer narrowed his eyes. Castiel wasn’t his favorite brother – that position belonged to Gabriel and Gabriel alone – but he wasn’t his _least_ favorite either, and certainly higher ranking that Uriel. “Leave the kid alone, Uriel,” he snapped, somewhat surprised by the venom and finality in his own voice.

      Uriel gave him a look, but did as Lucifer asked, and sat there in silence. “Alright, Cassie,” Lucifer said with an unusual gentleness in his voice. “Who are these Winchesters and what have they done to my brothers?”

      Castiel looked at Lucifer with wide eyes, as if stunned that he was even being addressed. “Oh . . . well . . . earlier today . . . I was sort of . . . challenged.”

      “By who?” Michael asked, his voice sharp.

      “This demon,” Castiel said quietly. “His name was Crowley.”

      Lucifer rolled his eyes. _Of course_ Crowley would immediately seek out the freshman angel and try to terrify him. He could feel Michael’s judgmental gaze on him as if he somehow believed that this was Lucifer’s fault. “A friend of yours?” Michael asked darkly, glaring at him.

      “No,” Lucifer answered calmly. “Not _every_ demon is my friend, big brother.”

      Michael just grunted in response.

      “Anyway,” Castiel began, looking between his two older brothers nervously. “Crowley was about to . . . ‘show me a lesson’, when this guy came out of the crowd and told him to leave me alone. His name was Dean Winchester.”

      Lucifer knew that name. “Fuck,” he growled under his breath.

      “What?” Castiel asked fearfully.

      “I know him,” Lucifer nearly groaned. “The guy’s an asshole. Why he saved you, I have no idea.”

      Michael’s eyes were narrowed, but not with malevolence for once. Instead, he appeared to be deep in thought. “I think I know him to.”

      “He’s in our first period class,” Lucifer explained. He was going to say more, but something across the cafeteria caught his eye. Standing by one of the doors with her back up against the wall was Meg. She was staring directly at him, with a suggestive look on her face.

      Lucifer gulped. _Dad, forgive me for I am about to sin,_ he thought before looking at his brothers. “Cassie, just stay away from Dean Winchester, he’s bad news.” With that, he got up from the table and tossed his uneaten food into a nearby trashcan. He knew that Michael and his other siblings were watching him as he walked over to Meg, and, honestly, he didn’t care. None of their opinions mattered to him, except maybe Gabriel’s. The others could think whatever they want. He knew that Gabriel would understand.

      When he reached her, Meg smiled. “I see you got my unspoken message,” she nearly purred with a small smile.

      “How could I resist you?” Lucifer asked leaning against the wall as well.

      Meg smiled. “Wanna get outta here for a bit, angel boy?”

      “Hell yeah.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Since Michael cannot appear as a young John Winchester or Adam, I kind of created my own version of Michael. Basically, he looks like Jamie Campbell Bower, if you know who that is. If not, you can look him up if you want, or just picture a tall blond guy that's really handsome. xD

* * *

      As the school day came to a close, Adam Milligan walked out school beside his new best friend, Sam Winchester. In fifth period choir, the two boys had gotten to know each other. Choir was a very easy class, which was why Adam took it in the first place. He knew that it would entail little work, and next to no homework. He didn’t think that he would get a friend out of the deal.

      The moment Sam sat down beside him, Adam had done all the talking. At first, Sam seemed a little shy, replying with one-word answers, and occasionally saying nothing at all. However, after a while, Sam seemed to lighten up and it finally became a two-way conversation. Adam learned the Sam was human – just like him – and was a hunter. Adam knew what hunters were, but had never actually met one before. When he had gotten his invitation to Supernatural High, he had no idea why. His mother had told him that monsters were real, and she seemed to have some kind of knowledge of them that Adam lacked. Adam wasn’t sure _why_ they wanted him to go to Supernatural High, and he didn’t exactly want to go. He was dreading high school enough as it was; he didn’t need to go to one with a bunch of monsters. But his mother didn’t leave much room for debate; Adam was going whether he liked it or not, and he had no idea why.

      When he told Sam this story, Sam immediately sympathized with him. “Sounds just like my dad,” Sam had laughed with bright, blue-green eyes. And then Sam told the story about how he got into hunting, and about how his dad forced him to go to Supernatural High.

      From that moment on Adam was determined to be Sam’s best friend. As they walked out of school together, Adam said, “We gotta stick together, right? I mean – we’re in the same boat.”

      Sam nodded and opened his mouth to respond when a new voice entered the conversation. “Sammy! Let’s go!”

      Adam turned to see a man that looked almost like a supermodel. He had short, spiky blond hair, and wore a worn leather jacket. Sam nodded. “I’m coming!” he called back. He then looked at Adam. “Sorry, I gotta go.”

      With a rueful smile, Adam bid his new friend farewell before walking down the sidewalk in the direction of his house. A chilly breeze, buffeted his hair, and made him shiver slightly. It was still only September, but he knew that autumn was quickly approaching. He strolled at a leisurely pace, taking the time to breathe in the clean, fresh afternoon air.

      It was then that he became aware that he was being followed. He could hear footsteps on the sidewalk behind him, and the crazed giggling of fellow students. But it didn’t sound happy and carefree; it sounded almost malicious.

      “Hey blondie!” a voice called somewhere behind him.

      Adam felt a chill go up his spine. These weren’t just normal school bullies – they could be monsters that wanted to . . . He immediately sped up, much to the glee of his pursuers.

      “Haha! Watch him run!”

      Adam kept his head down and walked swiftly until he hit something solid. He looked up to see a boy a few years older than him with dark hair standing there. “Hello human,” he sneered, shoving Adam roughly backwards.

      Adam tripped over his own feet and hit the ground with a thud. The boy he had ran into towered over him now, and smirked. Without warning, his eyes turned black. Adam gasped quietly; demon.

      The others – most likely demons, as well – had caught up now and were laughing. They began to circle Adam like a pack of wolves eyeing their prey. Adam clamped his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists until his knuckles went white. He did the only thing he could think of – the thing his mother always taught him to do – pray.

      _Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander the world for the ruin of souls. Amen._

      “Leave him alone,” a new, harsh, domineering voice commanded.

      Instantly, the demons fled. Adam opened his eyes and watched as they disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, screaming in terror. When they were all gone, Adam shakily tried to stand. His entire body was trembling, which made the action difficult. Just as he was about to fall back to the ground, a strong hand gripped his shoulder.

      “Easy,” the voice that had once been so forbidding and feral now whispered. It sounded so different . . . so soft and caring.

      Adam looked up into the warmest, chocolate-brown eyes he’d ever seen. His savior gave him a small smile, and brushed a strand of blond hair out of his eyes with his free hand. He had a broad, strong build, and chiseled features. The sight of this man nearly struck Adam breathless. “Thank you . . . for saving me,” Adam whispered almost sheepishly.

      The man smiled and helped Adam to his feet. “It was no trouble – I always like a chance to scare a few demons. Besides, I was kind of obligated to show up.”

      “Huh?” Adam asked, confused.

      The man smiled, his pearly-white teeth now showing. “You prayed to me, after all.”

      Adam just stared at him, dumbstruck. “Y- _you’re_ Michael?”

      Michael laughed, a musical laugh that made Adam’s heart flutter. “I am. My father thought that it would be . . . beneficial for my siblings and I to . . . attend this . . . educational facility so that we could learn more about the creatures of earth . . . especially humans like yourself.”

      Adam could hardly believe it. Michael – the archangel – had just saved his life, and was now having a conversation with him!

      “Your . . . siblings?” Adam asked. He was disgusted at how feminine he sounded. He hated how his body immediately betrayed him – showing everyone exactly how he felt on the inside, and in that moment, he happened to be in absolute awe of the angel in front of him.

      Michael smiled wryly. “Lucifer, Raphael, Gabriel, Zachariah, Balthazar, Uriel, Anna, and Castiel.”

      “Oh . . . of course.”

      “We were just about to head home to Heaven when I got your prayer,” Michael informed him. 

      “Oh . . .” Adam repeated. “Sorry.”

      “Don’t be,” Michael insisted. “It was no trouble – besides, I couldn’t exactly . . . not help you. You always used to pray to me, remember?”

      Adam did remember. When he was a little boy, every night, he would say an angel to St. Michael, the archangel, asking for protection from all things wicked. He said that prayer faithfully every night until a couple years ago. After a particularly rough period in his life, Adam had stopped praying all together thinking that there was no one there to listen – that no one cared . . . I guess now he knew that that wasn’t the case.

      “Yeah . . .” Adam murmured, not sure what else to say. Should he apologize for not praying anymore?

      Michael looked around, seeming to sense the awkwardness he had brought upon them. “Would you like me to walk you home, Adam?” he asked with no fear, and no embarrassment.

      Adam on the other hand, felt his cheeks turn red. Was an archangel really offering to _walk him home_? He thought he might die. “Oh . . . I don’t think that’s necessary, um . . . sir . . .”

      The archangel laughed again. Adam smiled at the sound. He wanted to hear Michael’s laughter more. It was so pure, and so beautiful . . . _Wait, did I just think that?_ the human wondered with alarm.

      “Call me Michael,” the angel implored.

      “Okay . . . Michael,” Adam murmured. He had said that name so many times before – in prayer, and in everyday conversation – and yet know, it held so much more meaning.

      “Come on,” the angel said, gently guiding Adam in the direction of his house. “I insist that I accompany you to your house, just in case those demons decide to return.”

      Adam didn’t know what to do except to nod. _If he wants to walk me home . . . let him. I can’t hurt anyone, right? Besides . . . I wouldn’t mind spending some more time with him._


	6. Chapter 6

            Castiel expected his second day of high school to be just as bad – if not worse – than his first. However, as he made his way up to his locker, he found that things were different. He found himself slightly more comfortable . . . He knew where things were now, and he wasn’t scrambling around at the last minute. For a while, he actually thought that he might have a good day, and make some friends.

            But of course, this little burst of confidence could not last long.

            As he made his way down the hall towards first periods, he spied a group of demons coming in the opposite direction Cas kept his head down, doing his best to look insignificant; to blend in. Unfortunately, his . . . choice of clothing stuck out like a sore thumb. In passing, one of the demons roughly bumped Cas, causing the books he carried to spill out of his arms and all over the floor of the hall.

            “Whoops,” the demon sneered. “Sorry ’bout that.” With that being said, the demon and the rest of his posse continued walking, laughing to themselves.

            Cas sighed and watched them go. When he was certain that they wouldn’t return to give him more trouble, Cas got down on his knees and began to gather up his materials.

            “Need some help, angel?”

            Cas looked up to see Dean Winchester standing over him with a somewhat sympathetic expression. Castiel couldn’t help but stare at the man in front of him before sheepishly looking down at his books. “I thought the last thing you’d want to do is help an angel,” Cas murmured, scrambling to pick up his books before Dean got a chance to help.

            The human chuckled and knelt down to help. “I said that I thought most angels were dicks,” he reminded. “I never said that you were one.”

            Cas didn’t reply immediately, mulling over Dean’s words. Lucifer had told him to stay away from this Winchester; he said that he was bad news. Lucifer was a cruel trickster at times, but Cas doubted tha the he had been lying. Why would he have?

            “Here,” Dean said quietly, handing over the notebooks and other materials he’d gathered. “And don’t thank me.”

            Taking the supplies, Cas got to his feet and nodded at Dean. “You didn’t have to stop and help,” he murmured. Castiel almost squinted while looking at Dean; his soul was so bright and so distracting.

            “Yeah well . . . Consider that me sayin’ sorry for bein’ such a dick yesterday,” Dean said with a small smile. “Does that make up for it?” He looked at Castiel with shimmering evergreen eyes. He was rather handsome.

            Cas couldn’t help but smile slightly. “I suppose,” he murmured, shifting the materials in his arms. “Are we on good terms, then?”

            Dean smirked. “I guess, angel. So, I haven’t seen you around often . . . What grade are you in?”

            “Freshman,” Cas answered. They were walking down the hall now in the direction of Cas’ locker. Cas felt his stomach flutter with a new, alien emotion as they walked along. Dean Winchester was talking to him. “You’re a senior, right?”

            “Yeah,” Dean said, smiling. He seemed pleased that Cas knew that about him. “How’d ya know?”

            “My brothers told me,” Cas answered honestly. “Michael and Lucifer – they’re in your first period.”

            “Oh,” Dean said, his face darkening slightly at the mention of other angels. “Yeah, I know them.” Cas expected a smart remark about angels, but it didn’t come. Dean seemed to be trying very hard to keep his opinions about angels to himself for Cas’ sake.

            “They said you were bad news,” Cas said. He meant for it to be teasing, but his deep voice made him sound so serious.

            Dean laughed anyway. He even threw his head back. Cas felt heat rush to his cheeks. _Father . . . this man is so beautiful. He must be your greatest creation._ “So, they’re worried that I’m gonna be the bad boy that corrupts poor little Castiel?” he chuckled.

            Cas grinned but looked at his shoes.

            The bell rang. First period was in five minutes.

            Dean gave Cas a friendly pat on the shoulder. His touch sent a pleasurable electric shock through the angel’s body. “Well, I’ll see ya around, Castiel.”

            “Cas.”

            “Huh?”

            “You can call me Cas . . . Dean.” The man’s name felt odd on his tongue . . . but not in a bad way.

            “Okay, cool. Hey, Cas—” Cas shivered at the sound of his own name passing from Dean Winchester’s lips “—Do you wanna sit with my brother and I at lunch today?”

            Cas gulped. He didn’t know if he should sit with his family, or sit with Dean . . . He wanted to sit with Dean . . . He really did, but . . . “I usually sit with my brothers and sister, but . . . If you want me to sit with you and your brother, I can.”

            Dean looked confused for a second. “That a yes, or a no?”

            “Yes.”

            Dean smiled widely. It was so vibrant. It made Cas happy to see Dean pleased. “Cool. See you at lunch, Cas.”

            Cas watched him go, feeling a little sheepish. His heart felt as if it had swelled three times its normal size. For a few moments, he feared it was going to burst, but he decided he didn’t care. He was going to sit with Dean Winchester.


	7. Chapter 7

            Dean couldn’t stop fidgeting and he didn’t know why. He wasn’t even paying attention to the food on his lunch tray, not that he would be interested in it in the first place. Dean knew that whatever on his tray sure as hell wasn’t chicken – the company just _called_ them chicken nuggets. For all Dean knew he could be eating eyeball, liver, or even a chicken penis.

            _Do chickens even have—_

Dean stopped himself before he finished that thought. He didn’t want to know.

            “Dude, does your butt itch or something?” Sam asked, giving his brother a hard, calculating stare. Sam’s new BFF, Adam Milligan sat next to him. The blond freshman hadn’t said a word since he sat down. He kept looking between his food, Dean, and somewhere off into the distance, possibly at another table. When Sam asked that, Adam looked at Dean with a an almost fearful look on his face, as if he was afraid that Dean would attack him, or something.

            Dean gave Sam a murderous glare before shaking his head. “No.” He hadn’t told Sam – and especially not his new friend – that Cas was supposed to join them for lunch. He tried to tone down his nervousness and began to eat a cup of orange Jello that the lunch lady had put on his tray.

            After five minutes of waiting, Dean was sure that Cas had stood him up. For a little while, he actually felt bad about it. He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t help but feel a little down that Cas hadn’t shown up.

            Just as he was about to abandon all hope, he saw the nerdy little angel approaching their table with a tray of food in his hands. Dean immediately smiled and waved him over. Both Sam and Adam turned to look, and Cas stopped short, as if suddenly embarrassed. Dean beckoned him again, hoping that his brother and his dorky friend wouldn’t scare him off.

            Cas reached the table, mumbled a hello, and sat down on Dean’s side of the table. “Everybody, this is Castiel – he’s an angel.”

            Sam nodded at him, seeming to quickly lose interest. Adam, however, was staring at Castiel in wonder. “Cas, this is my brother Sam, and his friend, Adam.”

            Cas met Adam’s gaze and cocked his head to the side. Before Dean could stop himself, he thought about how Cas actually looked . . . a little cute when he did that. _The hell are you thinkin’?_ he snarled at himself. _You’re not gay. Why would you think that?_

            “You are the boy Michael saved,” Cas said suddenly.

            Adam looked down sheepishly. Dean swore that the kid’s face was turning red. “Oh . . . yeah, I prayed to him when these demons were coming after me, and he . . . saved me.”

            Cas then looked at Sam. “And you are the boy my brother keeps thinking about.”

            Sam’s head shot up. “What?”

            “My brother, Gabriel,” Cas said simply, as if it were common knowledge. “You make him nervous.”

            Now, Dean grew concerned. “What do you mean Sam makes him nervous? Does your brother have the hots for mine, or something?” he asked hotly.

            Sam suddenly got up from the table and made a beeline for the exit. Adam got up a second later and followed him, clearly not wanting to be left alone with Dean and Cas. Cas watched them leave, his brow furled in confusion. “What did I do?”

            “I think you just embarrassed your brothers,” Dean said. One thing was for sure: he had to find which of those angels had their eye on Sam and, more importantly, how Sam felt about them.

            “So, Dean,” Cas suddenly said. He sounded smaller now, almost scared. “Why did you invite me here?”

            Dean faltered for a moment. Why _had_ he invited him? “I just . . . wanted to get to know you, that’s all. I mean, I did save your skin after all.”

            Cas nodded, and Dean let out a sigh of relief. At least it made sense to the angel.

            “Dean, why did you get so angry when I mentioned that Gabriel got nervous around Sam?” Cas asked, looking at him again with inquisitive eyes.

            “Because Sam’s my little brother,” Dean replied simply. “And if some angel’s crushing on him, I wanna know about it!”

            “Crushing?” Cas repeated. Dean could almost hear the click in the kid’s head as he put two and two together. “Oh, no! Gabriel doesn’t like Sam _that_ way. He couldn’t.”

            “Why?” Dean asked, defensively. “My brother not good enough for him?”

            Cas shut his mouth then and looked at the table. “I’ve offended you,” he whispered. “And I offer my sincerest apologies.”

            “God, Cas—”

            “Don’t speak of my father in that manner.”

            Dean rolled his eyes then. _Angels._ “I didn’t mean it like that. I just . . . You don’t have to be so serious all the time. Brighten up a bit, buddy. Stop being a stick in the mud.”

            “Brighten up? I do not understand. I already am rather bright – at least in my true form. I could blind you, actually,” Cas said, looking back up at Dean. He looked so confused, and his lower lip stuck out slightly. Dean gulped and looked away. The kid _was_ kind of cute.

            “No, I mean . . . Don’t take things so seriously. Be happy and shit.”           

            Cas still looked confused, but said no more. They ate the rest of their lunch in silence.

            When lunch came to an end, they both rose, and Dean felt obligated to say something. “So . . . thanks for sitting with me today, Cas,” he said shoving his hands in his pockets as they left the cafeteria. Dean tried not to dwell on the fact that Cas was still beside him, and was less than an inch away.

            Cas looked at him, again with that confused expression. “But, I angered Sam and Adam and chased them off.”

            “Ah, don’t worry about them. Sammy’s always got a stick up his butt, and that Adam kid I just met. He seems a little weird to me anyway.”

            “Sam has a stick up his butt? That must be extremely painful.”

            Dean face-palmed. “Cas, Sam doesn’t actually have a stick up his butt. It’s a saying.”

            “Oh.”

            Dean walked Cas all the way to his locker, not even noticing that he had until they were there. Dean was just about to say good-bye when a voice cut into their conversation.

            “Befriending the squirrel, I see?”

            Both Dean and Cas turned to see Crowley standing there. Two of his demonic goons flanked him. The trio was dressed in all black, and Crowley looked more pompous than usual. “What do you want, Crowley?” Dean almost growled. For a moment, he was shocked by the venom in his voice. He stepped in front of Castiel protectively, his body already on the defensive. Cas stood slightly behind him, staring at Crowley with a hard expression. Dean could tell that the angel was trying his hardest to remain calm and collected like his protector, but Dean could see the panic in his eyes too.

            Crowley looked at Dean with a bored expression. “Step back, Squirrel. This is none of your business. This is strictly between me and Wings, here.”

            “Well ‘Wings’ is with me,” Dean said simply. “So, if you want him, you’re gonna have to go through me. Got it?”

            Crowley smiled, and let out a small chuckle. “Aw, isn’t that sweet? The human and the angel. Wasn’t there a book series about that, or something?”

            “Crowley, I do not understand why you insist on making something out of nothing,” Cas said firmly. “I am an angel of the Lord, and you are a demon. This will not end well for you. Leave now and my brothers and I may show mercy.”

            Dean looked at Cas, his mouth hanging open. He knew that Cas was brave – he had seen that the first day they met. But he hadn’t realized that he was capable of being a total badass.

            Crowley’s smirk faded and the situation became suddenly very serious. “You are engaging in a dangerous game, Castiel. If I were you, I’d watch yourself.”

            Cas stood his ground. “No, you are the one who should be watching yourself, Crowley. The moment I tell my brothers – Michael, Lucifer, and Gabriel especially – they will consider you their enemy. Just be prepared for that if you intend to take this altercation further.”

            For a moment, Dean wasn’t sure if Crowley was planning to back down or not. But then, he narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t over, Castiel. One day when you’re all alone – when you’re brothers are too busy to care, or when your human isn’t at your side, or once he loses interest – I’ll be there. And then, we will settle this little dispute.”

            With that, Crowley stalked off down the hallway, his demon henchmen following close behind.


	8. Chapter 8

            Sam was pacing back and forth with a certain archangel on his mind. He had told Adam to go back to lunch, or just go do something productive. He felt bad for sending his new friend away, but Sam needed to be alone. He needed to think about what he’d recently learned. With a sigh, he ceased pacing and turned to look in the mirror. What he saw was an un-extraordinary fifteen-year-old boy with shaggy hair and dull eyes staring at him. Why did Gabriel pay so much attention to him? Why did he make the archangel _nervous_ as Castiel had said? He wasn’t special.

            He was a freak.

            He was a human who knew about things most humans shouldn’t know about.

            The door of the restroom swung open then when a fairly loud squeak. Sam glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see Adam standing there. Instead, it was the subject of all his thoughts: Gabriel.

            “Oh,” the archangel said with a small, knowing smirk. “Hey Sam, I didn’t know you were here . . .” Gabriel’s face then became very serious. “Hey . . . are you okay?”

            Sam hadn’t realized that he’d been staring at the archangel like a deer in headlights until it was too late. “Oh . . . uh, yeah. Just thinking.” Sam found himself fumbling and tripping over his words – something that rarely happened. Sam was always so direct and always seemed to know what to say. But not now. Sam was too lost in Gabriel’s warm, whiskey-brown eyes. He was so . . . Sam couldn’t think of a word to describe him.

            _Why does he care so much?_ Sam wondered. What had he done to deserve this magnificent creature’s attention? He was nothing – a freaky human that the black sheep of his family. He wasn’t special. He wasn’t important. He was an insignificant ant in a massive colony. And Gabriel had singled him out, if what Castiel said held any truth.

            The archangel’s face softened considerably. “About what? I already know, though,” he added a few moments later.

            Sam froze. His pulse suddenly accelerated, and he felt his face grow hot. “Um . . . what?”

            “I can read minds, Sam,” the archangel told him with a smirk. “I know what you’ve been thinking about: me. I occupy almost every single thought of yours, don’t I? Ever since our conversation yesterday – I’ve been on your brain, nagging at you like an itch you can’t stop, right? Well, guess what Samsquatch, I’ve been thinking about you too.”

            Sam’s mouth went try. “What do you mean?”

            “Sam . . .” Gabriel let out a breathy, almost irritated sigh. It was if he was having a difficult time saying what he wanted to. “You’re . . .” He sighed again, but this time it was one of resignation. “Sam, you are the most amazing human I’ve ever met.”

            Sam just stared at him, his mouth gaping. “What?”

            “I’ve read your mind – sorry about not giving you a head’s up about that, by the way. But . . . the way you think – Your heart is so good and kind. And Sam, you aren’t un-extraordinary. And you most certainly _are not_ a freak! You’re the most beautiful – I mean . . . your mind is the most beautiful thing . . . I’ve been around a lot of humans, Sam . . . and I’ve never met one like you. I’ve met one so selfless, so brave, and so . . . tall.”

            Sam couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the past part. He couldn’t believe it. _This . . . This is a dream,_ he thought. _This has to be a dream._

            “It’s not a dream, Sam,” Gabriel responded, as if Sam had spoken it aloud. “I’ve only know you for two days, and I can’t stop thinking about you. I’ve never met anyone like you, Sam . . . And I never want to let you go.”

            He stared down at the archangel, trying to wrap his brain around what was happening. Gabriel was . . . what? Admitting something to him? Admitting that he . . . liked him? Sam’s heart swelled at the thought. A smile crept onto his lips and refused to fade. He felt . . . happy, but he didn’t know why. Gabriel was a _guy_ , and Sam wasn’t gay! But . . . how could he deny what he felt? How could he deny this wonderful, bubbly, warm feeling in his chest?

            “Gabriel,” Sam began, but he suddenly found himself cut off by a pair of lips. The archangel’s lips were latched onto his, and devouring them hungrily. Sam could hardly take it. _I’m not gay,_ he said to himself. _I’m not gay . . . I’m not gay . . ._ He repeated it in his head over and over again like a mantra. But the feeling of Gabriel’s lips . . . the rush and the passion behind it made Sam’s head swim. Eventually, his mantra was lost in the myriad of other, dirtier thoughts that swarmed his brain.

            The archangel’s hands had wrapped around Sam’s neck, and Sam found his own hands resting on the angel’s hips. Gabriel’s lips tasted faintly of sugar, and became as addictive as a drug. Sam was giving in, and he didn’t care anymore. He didn’t want to stop. Gabriel’s hands found their way into Sam’s hair, and they began to tug at the locks. Sam let out a breathy sigh into the archangel’s mouth, and pulled Gabriel closer, his arms locking around his waist. Gabriel let out a small moan and held Sam tighter.

            Sam couldn’t take it anymore. He felt his pants growing steadily tighter. Instinct took over, and he shoved Gabriel up against the wall of the boys’ restroom. Gabriel let out an even louder moan at that. The pair began to kiss more heatedly – more hungrily.

            Neither knew how long they remained like that – Gabriel pinned to the wall, and their lips moving toward in this erotic dance, but it was the bell that signified the end of lunch that caused them to break apart. Both boys stood there, breathing breathless, flushed, and smiling stupidly at one another. Sam’s head was reading’ on Gabriel’s forehead, and they both stared into each other’s eyes.

            “Damn, kid,” Gabriel laughed after a few moments. “Where the hell did you learn that?”

            Sam let out a small laugh. “I didn’t learn it . . . I just kind of . . . did it?”

            Gabriel smiled and straightened up then. Sam pulled back, giving the smaller boy room to breathe. “Well . . .” Gabriel said softly. “I wouldn’t mind doing that again, Samsquatch.”

            _You’re not gay,_ Sam’s mind tried to tell him. But Sam wasn’t listening to that anymore. He considered Gabriel’s words for a moment. “Are you sure?”

            “Never been more sure about anything,” Gabriel answered earnestly.

            “Okay . . .” Sam allowed. “But on one condition.”

            The archangel arched a playful eyebrow. “Is it whips and chains?”

            “No, you dick,” Sam snapped, but he laughed as he said it. “No more name-calling. No more Samsquatch.”

            Gabriel’s face fell, but nodded. “Fine . . . if that’s the price I have to pay. Meet me here tomorrow? Same time?”

            Sam found it kind of amusing that this had apparently become their meeting spot. He should have been repulsed by the idea. He should have told Gabriel to leave him alone. He should have walked away. He should have never gotten into this mess. But he did. And he was loving every second of it so far. “Okay. I’ll be waiting for you.”

            Gabriel smiled again, and blew Sam a kiss. “See ya later, bae.”

            Sam watched Gabriel go and shook his head. _Did an archangel of the Lord really just call me “bae”?_

            There was only one thing that Sam Winchester knew for certain: he wasn’t gay . . . but for Gabriel . . . he might consider it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware the Sam and Gabriel are moving fast, but it isn't because I'm lazy, or anything like that. Sam is young and he hasn't experienced anything like this before, and this is just him getting his first taste of it. Things won't go as smoothly as they think it will. :)


	9. Chapter 9

            “Dammit, Lucifer,” Michael swore as they returned to Heaven. The second day of school came and went, and Lucifer was finding it more and more difficult to stand his older brother. I mean, he made one mistake, and suddenly he was the “bad guy”. Lilith was _hot!_ So what if she was Adam’s wife? Then of course, Lilith when dark side, and then Dad had to make Eve to replace her, but it was _worth it_. Lucifer served his time in Hell as punishment, but he got out on good behavior! Dad had taken pity on him, and allowed him back in Heaven. And Lucifer was trying his best – he really was – to make things right with his brothers and sisters, and with his Father.

            Everyone seemed to welcome him back . . . everyone except Michael.

            “Oh, _what_ did I do wrong this time, Michael?” Lucifer demanded, rounding on his older brother.

            Michael stopped short, seeming almost insulted that Lucifer had spoken back to him. “First of all, I saw you sneaking off with that demon bitch again today.”

            Lucifer lost it. An angel blade appeared in his hand, and he glowered at his brother. “Michael, don’t talk about Meg that way.”

            “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot she had the nerve to use a _human_ name! After all, she is just riding some poor girl. But you don’t care about _that_ do you, Lucifer?” Michael sneered.

            “Like _you_ care about what happens to those meat-suits!” Lucifer snarled back. It was quite possible that his brother was the biggest hypocrite on earth, and in Heaven. “You don’t care what happens to them any more than the demons do, so before you go criticizing my _girlfriend_ why don’t you stop being a hypocrite, and act the way you say you do?”

            Michael didn’t laugh, he just stared evenly at his younger brother.

            Lucifer could have left it alone there, but he wasn’t done. “You see corruption and evil and hatred everywhere except inside yourself, Michael. I _know_ what I did! I _know_ I rebelled against Dad! I _know_ that what I did was wrong, and I _owned up to it!_ So why can’t you accept that?”

            “Because you don’t mean that,” Michael replied sharply. “You say you owned up to it, but you don’t regret it. You did penance in the cage, but it was forced. You don’t feel bad for what you did. You are not remorseful – you never were. You are not honest, and it is because of that that I can never forgive you for what you did. Father gave you a second chance, perhaps against his better judgment, because you were his favorite son. If I ever dared to do what you did, I would never get a second chance. Father would have never let me out of the cage. But he let you out. And you have everyone fooled – but not me. I know who and what you are, Lucifer. You are a liar, a traitor, and I can never trust you again.”

            Before Lucifer could even think of a response to that, Michael was gone with a flutter of wings.

            Lucifer looked at the ground and let out a tired sigh. When his Father had let him out of the cage, he had been so relieved . . . so overjoyed. He was _free_. He could return to Heaven. And here he was – in his home . . . He thought that things would be different – that they would be better. But they weren’t. Michael hated him . . . and even now, after all these years, and after all that had gone on between then, Lucifer valued Michael’s opinion above all others. And knowing that his own brother couldn’t stand him . . . didn’t trust him.

            _Maybe Dad wasn’t trying to give me a second chance; maybe he was just trying to bring me more torment. Sending me home to Michael who hates me . . . I can’t imagine a more despicable hell._

            “Lucifer,” Gabriel’s voice called him back to the present.

            The archangel looked up to see his younger brother watching him with solicitous eyes. “Are you . . . okay?”

            Lucifer knew that he should tell his brother the truth – be honest with him . . . But the last thing he wanted was to worry his little brother more than necessary. “Yes, I’m . . . I’m okay.”

            Gabriel arched an unconvinced eyebrow, but seemed to let it go. Then Lucifer noticed something odd about his brother. He seemed to be . . . glowing. Yes, his grace was shining brighter than normal. “Gabriel . . . are _you_ okay?”

            His brother gave him a weird look. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

            “Your grace is shining brighter than I’ve ever seen it,” Lucifer commented.

            Gabriel got very quiet then. He almost seemed to be . . . sheepish. “Oh . . . well . . . It’s nothing you need to be concerned about, brother. Trust me, I’m fine – better than fine, actually.”

            “And what brought this on?” Lucifer continued to inquire. _There is something he’s not telling me . . . Something important . . . and he doesn’t seem to want me to know it. I could read his mind . . . but that would be violating his trust. Michael hates me, I don’t need Gabriel to have a grudge against me as well, but . . ._ Lucifer mulled over this option for a few more seconds.

            During this time, Gabriel replied, “Oh, nothing really. Just having a really good day, that’s all.”

            “Sure,” Lucifer answered, clearly unconvinced. He couldn’t take it anymore, he narrowed his eyes, and focused his energy on Gabriel’s thoughts. Lucifer felt his grace stretch as he got a stream of Gabriel’s thoughts.

            _Lucifer saw everything from Gabriel’s perspective. He was in the boys restroom at school. The next thing Lucifer saw was a boy – taller than Gabriel, but definitely younger. Lucifer also knew that the boy was human – he could tell by the flush on his cheeks, and the sound of his pounding heart. Gabriel had paid attention to that – the way the boy’s heart was fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings. He also paid attention to the boys sweet scent. Lucifer also thought he caught a trace of arousal in the air._

 _And then what happened next made Lucifer nearly hiss in disgust. They were kissing – Gabriel and this_ human. _Their lips were fighting against one another, their hands grasping and pulling at each other. Their labored breaths mingled into one consecutive gasp whenever they broke for a small gulp of air._

_And then Gabriel was pushed again the wall. Lucifer felt Gabriel’s own heart began to pound with lust. His brother’s vessel was going wild with passion – new hormones were being secreted in the brain, the heart rate continued to accelerate, and his pants began to feel rather tight in the crotch area._

_Lucifer could also make out Gabriel’s inner thoughts during this time._ Sam, _he kept thinking._ Sam, oh . . . Sam . . . FUCK! This kid’s gonna . . . Father, forgive me for this. _Gabriel’s thoughts then became incoherent – unintelligible. They were a mixture of abstract images of pleasure – flashes of what Gabriel planned to do with this human in the future._

Lucifer couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled out of Gabriel’s thoughts, recoiling from his brother with disgust.

            “WERE YOU INSIDE MY HEAD!?” Gabriel shouted. Clearly Lucifer’s invasion into his brother’s private thoughts was not as discreet as he would have liked.

            Lucifer did the best he could to purge those memories from his head, but one thought remained: the boy’s name. _Sam. This is the name of the human that’s corrupted my brother!_ “And it’s a good thing I did!” Lucifer shouted in reply. “What did you do, Gabriel!? You . . . with a human?! Are you mad?”

            Gabriel stood up straight. “It’s my life, Lucifer. And if I want to be with a human, than who’s gonna stop me?” he challenged.

            Lucifer glowered at him. “I will,” he stated firmly. “No brother of mine is going to be whoring around with a _human_!”

            “You will do no such thing, Lucifer,” Gabriel snapped, stepping up so he was almost toe-to-toe with his brother. “If you lay a hand on Sam, I swear to Dad, I will never forgive you! Do you hear me, brother?”

            For a moment, Lucifer paused. Now Gabriel was mad at him too! But who could blame Lucifer for acting this way? Humans were broken, flawed, violent, awful creatures! Gabriel deserved _much_ better! But was that a good enough reason to lose Gabriel’s affections? _He’ll thank me later,_ Lucifer tried to tell himself, but he wasn’t so sure. “I hear you,” he muttered before stalking off. He needed to find someone _sane_ to talk to for a change.


	10. Chapter 10

            Adam Milligan was sitting in his bedroom, perusing through one of his textbooks. On the third day of school, he was already having a quiz. Of course, he still had an entire night to study for it, but that didn’t make it okay. It was during his “study time” that the archangel that had saved him the day before just decided to drop in.

            The boy wouldn’t have even heard the angel enter if it were not for the distinctive flapping of wings. And there he was – Michael was just standing there. In his bedroom. Adam nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed. “Michael?!” he said in disbelief.

            Michael seemed disinterested in his reaction, and was looking around Adam’s room curiously. It was a little cluttered. Baseball and basketball trophies lined a wooden shelf on the western wall, and various packs and jackets hung off the side of the shelves. Michael examined these for a moment before going to inspect Adam’s dresser. A mirror was mounted over the dresser, but Michael was hardly interested in that. Instead, he looked at the various comic books and novels stacked on top of the dresser itself.

            “Um,” Michael said, unsure of how to react to having an archangel in his room. “Not that I’m not glad to see you—” Adam swore he saw Michael grin at this “—but what are you doing here?”

            “Needed a break from my siblings,” Michael replied, as if it were obvious. He continued to look around Adam’s room, studying everything in it except for Adam himself. “I thought I would come visit you. Any more demon trouble?”

            Adam found that strange. _Michael . . . came to visit me? Why would he do that?_ “Um . . . no, not since you scared their pants off.”

            Michael smiled again. Adam liked it when he smiled.

            “So they’ve left you alone – good. However, you might want to . . . keep your eyes open for a while, just to be sure. If you ever need help, or find yourself in jam, just pray to me. I’ll be there,” Michael told him. He looked at him then. Adam was nearly struck breathless by Michael’s bright, crystalline-blue eyes.

            “Oh,” Adam said, feeling a little awkward. How was he supposed to respond to that? “Um, thanks I guess. I appreciate that you want to look out for me but . . . why?”

            Michael faced him, finally giving the human his upmost attention. “I . . . do not understand,” he confessed. “What do you mean ‘why’?”

            Adam faltered for a moment. How could he say this? “I just . . . I don’t understand why you’re . . . interested in me. I mean – like, not . . . _interested_ but . . . I mean, I don’t know why you care whether I live or die. No offense to you and all your siblings, but . . . angels don’t exactly watch over humans the way everyone likes to think. If you did . . . wouldn’t there be less death and less heartbreak?”

            Michael was quiet for a long time afterwards. He seemed to be trying to think of a sufficient answer, and simply not finding one. “Adam . . .” he said resignedly. “My Father created a . . . natural order of things. There are certain things that me and my siblings are not permitted to interfere with. Really, we aren’t supposed to intervene at all.”

            “Then why did you save me?” Adam queried. “People pray to you every day. Why did  you come to me?”

            Michael avoided his gaze again, and suddenly became very interested in Adam’s bedroom floor. “I . . . I can’t answer that.”

            Adam frowned. “Well, if you’re not going to answer, than you can kindly get out of my room.” He wasn’t going to sit here and listen to some angel dance around his questions.

            “Adam,” Michael said. He honestly sounded . . . hurt.

            “If you aren’t going to tell me the truth then . . . I don’t think we can be friends. I need people to be honest with me,” Adam stated firmly. He stood up and squared off with the archangel boldly. “Now leave.” Adam expected Michael to get furious, to scold him for being so disrespectful, or to just leave. Instead, the archangel stood there, with a confused and slightly disappointed expression.

            “I have upset you. I’m sorry,” Michael said stiffly. Adam wouldn’t have been surprised if this was the first time Michael had ever spoken those words.

            Adam scrutinized Michael for a few seconds. His heart was pounding in his chest; he hadn’t realized how small his room was until now. It felt like the walls were pressing in around them, pushing the human and the angel closer together. “Just . . . please tell me,” Adam said, his voice barely above a whisper. He feared that if he spoke any louder, his voice might crack, or betray his discomfort.

            Michael stepped even closer; he was less than a foot away. Adam’s head began to swim. He couldn’t take this. He couldn’t deal with it; he felt like he was going to combust. Michael’s eyes tightened; the archangel seemed to be warring within himself. Finally, he spoke: “Adam, I am not supposed to be here. I am not supposed to be with any human. I was not supposed to save you. We are not . . . supposed to interfere, as I’ve already stated.”

            “Then why did you?” Adam demanded. He was getting tired of Michael avoiding the question. Why couldn’t he just _say_ it?

            “Because I recognized your voice,” Michael said softly. He wasn’t looking at Adam anymore, but at his hands. Adam noticed that the archangel was wringing them tightly, leaving red marks on his skin. “When you were young, and you prayed to me . . . I always listened. I . . . I liked listening to your prayers. They were . . . so innocent – so honest. All you wanted was for your mother to be happy – to not have to work so hard. All you wanted was for your father to be okay. You were never selfish. You always asked me to look after your parents. You never once asked for anything for yourself. It was so . . . refreshing to hear that. And I . . . I watched over you specifically, even though I was not supposed to.”

            Adam stood there, rigid. _Is this . . . ? No, Michael can’t be saying . . ._

            “Angels, we . . . we aren’t supposed to grow attached to humans. We aren’t supposed to grow close to them, but I was drawn to you. I couldn’t escape it – I couldn’t break the hold you had on me. I always thought that I was . . . invincible. I thought that nothing could weaken me – nothing could ever . . . control me. And I was wrong. I am bound to you, Adam Milligan; bound in ways I cannot even begin to understand, and I have no idea why.”

            “Michael—”                   

            “Don’t,” the archangel interrupted, putting a finger to the human’s lips. Adam froze, his heart was thundering now. It was so loud he was certain that Michael could hear it. Heat flushed his cheeks, and his stomach began to flutter. Michael was moving closer and closer. His lips were an inch from Adam’s . . .

            “Adam!”

            _WHOOSH!_

            Michael was gone.

            Adam stood there breathless, red-faced, and about ready to fall over. A few moments later, Adam’s mother, Kate, opened the door. She gave Adam a quick once-over, seeming a bit perplexed by his appearance. “Are you okay?”

            Unable to speak just yet, he nodded.

            “Well . . . good. You’re father’s here. Come say hi.”

            Adam nodded again and watched with relief as Kate disappeared. When she was gone, he let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on his bed. The fifteen-year-old was certain that he couldn’t take much more of this angel crap. Michael was going to give him a heart attack.

            After a few minutes of trying to compose himself, Adam headed downstairs to greet his father. Adam never had a real relationship with his father. Adam knew from the beginning that he was an accident – completely unintended. He knew that his father, John, hadn’t asked to have a kid. And yet, here Adam was. To John’s credit, he _did_ try. He could have just left, paid child support, and never showed his face. But he did come and visit. He _tried_ to be a part of Adam’s life. Kate had told him that John moved around a lot because of his work, so it was hard for him to visit. Adam accepted that, even though he wished that John could be around more.

            When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw John standing in the entranceway. Kate was standing next to him, and they were making small talk. Adam couldn’t hear what they were saying, but when he came into view, they stopped. “Hey, kiddo,” John greeted him with a small smile.

            Adam didn’t return the friendly greeting.

            “Adam, your father came all this way, aren’t you going to say anything?” Kate asked.

            John raised up a hand, telling her to stop. “How is school going?”

            “Okay,” Adam responded, not even bothering to delve into the details.

            “Adam got into a very special high school,” Kate relayed, clearly trying to get the father and son to at least have a conversation.

            “Really?” John said, sounding genuinely surprised and pleased.

            “Yeah,” Adam murmured.

            “What’s it called?” John asked gently. It seemed like he was doing his best not to pry, but was interested in what his son was doing these days.

            “Supernatural High,” Adam told him flatly.

            Immediately, John blanched. “What?”

            “Supernatural High,” Adam said again, this time sounding a bit confused.

            “YOU LET HIM GO THERE?!” John roared, rounding on Kate.

            “Hey!” Adam shouted, rushing down the rest of the stairs to try to get in between his parents.     

            “WHY WOULD YOU PUT HIM THROUGH THAT?!” John demanded.

            “Because he needed to know!” Kate shouted back. “He needed to know what was out there so he can protect himself!”

            John was livid, but he made no move to physically attack her. Adam was still in between them, ready to shove John away from Kate if he had to. “I like it there!” Adam suddenly piped up.

            His father looked down at him with a confused expression. “What?”

            “I said I like it there! I have friends that actually like me!” Adam was shouting now. For a moment, he feared that John would make him leave Supernatural High. That meant he would never see Sam again. Michael might follow him but . . . He didn’t want to lose Sam, or Dean for that matter. “Sam and Dean – I sit with them at lunch! Sam’s in my grade, and he’s my best friend! And I am not leaving. I don’t care if there are demons, and vampires, and werewolves, and all of that other crazy stuff! Because, believe it or not, I _fit in_ there! It’s the one place I’ve gone that I haven’t felt awkward, or out-of-place. People _like_ me – at least Sam does! And you don’t have any right to tell me, or my mother what to do! You’re never even here. So, before you start acting like you can dictate my life, why don’t you start acting like a father!”

            John just stood there, stunned. After a long time, he let out a small laugh. Adam glowered at him. “What?”

            His father shook his head. “You just . . . reminded me of these two kids I know, that’s all. You’re a lot like them both . . .” John didn’t say anymore, he just looked at Kate and sighed. “You keep an eye on him,” was all he said before he walked out the door, leaving Kate and Adam standing there in bewilderment.


	11. Chapter 11

            The school year wore on. August became September. The temperatures began to drop. The leaves began to change color. And Castiel was beginning to fall in love with Dean Winchester.

            Each day, they sat at the same lunch table. Cas knew that his brothers and sisters were concerned that he was spending so much time with a human, but he honestly could have cared less. He was tired of trying to live up to their expectations. _I’m going to spend time with humans for a change; they’re much kinder than angels,_ he would think whenever one of his brothers or sisters began to question him.

            Cas also noted a change in Gabriel. His older brother seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the younger Winchester. Every now and then, Dean would notices as well, and would question Castiel about it. “Does . . . your brother have the hots for my brother?” Castiel would always answer that he wasn’t certain, but it didn’t sound like Gabriel. The last part was a bit of a lie, but Cas believed that it was warranted. If Dean knew that Cas believed that Gabriel _was_ in fact in love with Sam, what would ensue would be very . . . bloody.

            But what Gabriel did with Sam was not really any concern of Cas’s. Instead, the young angel found himself absolutely enthralled by Dean Winchester. Everything about him was just so . . . fantastic. His face, his hair, his evergreen eyes, his freckles, his broad chest, his muscular arms, this (Cas was a bit ashamed to admit he’d noticed this) perfectly sculpted buttocks, his beautiful smile, the way he’d throw his head back when he laughed, the way he was always willing to take a bullet for his friends, the way he looked at Castiel when the angel did something particularly grand, and of course his incredibly bright soul – all of these things drove Castiel to the brink.

            However, he kept all of this to himself. He knew that Dean was not interested in boys. He also knew that Dean was not very fond of angels. _Dean is my friend,_ Cas would always tell himself. _He may never love me as I love him . . . but as long as he is my friend, I will be content._

            As fall began to get a firm grip on the land, Castiel began to hear whispers of an upcoming dance. Some of the other creatures called it “homecoming”. Castiel knew little of human practices, but Gabriel had attempted to explain this concept to him, but it had gone over his head. “Look, most schools have a homecoming dance in honor of the homecoming of their football team. We don’t have a football team – that would be an absolute disaster – but we still have a dance because it’s kind of a tradition.”

            Castiel still didn’t quite understand, so he decided to ask Dean about it. Dean was a human, and he seemed to be very knowledgeable when it came to such things. So, when he sat down at lunch one afternoon in mid-September, he decided to ask him. “Dean, what is homecoming?”

            Dean looked up from the pizza he’d been eating. Sam and Adam – who were sitting across from them – looked up as well, as if just to watch Dean’s reaction.

            “It’s a dance, Cas,” Dean said simply.

            “Oh,” the angel replied, still not quite understanding. “That is what Gabriel said . . . So . . . homecoming is a dance? Is there certain moves that once must perform?”

            “No, Cas,” Dean grumbled tiredly. “It’s like a . . . like a party. People go there – usually with a date – and they dance to music and have fun with friends.”

            “A date?”

            “Someone you like.”

            “Oh . . . And this sort of thing is . . . customary?”

            “Yes, Cas.”

            Dean had just taken another bite of his pizza when Cas asked, “Would you like to go to homecoming with me, Dean?”

            The human nearly spit out his pizza. Sam and Adam were staring at Castiel with wide eyes. Sam even mouthed “run”. Castiel didn’t understand. Why should he be afraid? Then he noticed Dean’s face; it was as red as tomato, and he looked _very_ uncomfortable.

            “Cas . . . no,” Dean said. “Look I don’t . . . I don’t swing that way, okay?”

            Castiel cocked his head to the side. “You don’t want to be my date?”

            “NO!” Dean shouted. Castiel flinched at the venom in Dean’s voice. His stomach twisted itself into a knot. He felt horrible. He made Dean mad, and he might have just ruined their friendship. A few people from nearby tables had heard Dean’s outburst and were now looking on like a bunch of vultures waiting for more drama to ensue. Castiel saw Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, Balthazar, and the rest of his siblings looking at his table too. He began to feel hot.

            Dean saw Cas flinch, and his expression softened. “Cas . . . No, okay?”

            For some reason, Cas’s vision began to blur. He didn’t understand it. What was going on? What was his vessel doing? His cheeks then felt wet. _Am I . . . ? Am I crying? Well . . . humans do it when they are sad . . . I guess that my vessel just kind of . . . reacted?_ The next thing Cas knew, his body was shaking, and he was making a small, pathetic whimpering noise. He felt a strong pain in his chest. _Is this . . . Is this what rejection feels like?_ “Dean . . .” Cas tried to speak. His voice came out tortured and raw due to the tears. He didn’t sound like himself. “Don’t you . . . don’t you like me?”

            Dean’s face looked stricken. “Of course I like you, Cas! But I don’t . . . It’s my fault – it’s all my fault. I didn’t explain it properly. Cas, a date isn’t just anyone – it’s not someone you _like_ , it’s someone that you’re attracted to – someone you want to be in a romantic relationship with.”

            Now Castiel understood Dean’s outburst. And now he was even more embarrassed.

            “That’s not what you meant, Cas,” Dean said simply, and then he faltered. “Was it?”

            It was, but how could Cas tell Dean that now? He knew what Dean would say. Suddenly, he couldn’t be there anymore. His instincts seemed to be telling him to flee. Half the cafeteria – if not all of it – was watching this scene unfold. He couldn’t take all the eyes on him. He couldn’t take the snickers that had begun when he started to cry. He couldn’t take his brother’s and sister’s hard stares. He couldn’t take the look in Dean’s eyes.

            He jumped up from his seat and bolted out of the cafeteria. He heard Dean shouting his name, but it only made him run faster. He ran through the hallways toward the nearest exit. He wanted to be away from this place. He wanted to be back in Heaven where he was safe from all this ridicule – where he was safe from Dean.

            Castiel ran out of the school, and hurried down the few steps outside. When he reached the bottom one, he lost all composure. He began to sob, his entire body shaking. Why did it hurt so much? Why did it feel like his body was breaking? Why did the thought of Dean rejecting him do this?

            _Why do I feel like this? Why do I . . . WHY DID I HAVE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH DEAN WINCHESTER?!_


	12. Chapter 12

            Dean looked for Cas for the rest of the day. He even ditched class to do it. After seeing the tears in the poor angel’s eyes, Dean felt like the biggest asshole on the face of the earth – worse than all the angels, worse than Crowley, worse than anyone. By the time the school day came to an end, Dean was still empty-handed.

            With a sigh of resignation, the hunter went to retrieve the Impala from the parking lot in the back of the school. By the time he pulled around to the front again, Sam was already standing there. And, to Dean’s displeasure, a short angel with light brown hair stood beside him, sucking on a lollipop. As the Impala rolled to a halt, Dean rolled down the window and shouted, “Sammy! Let’s go!”

            Sam turned to the angel and said something Dean couldn’t hear. The angel’s lips twitched in the faintest of smiles. He said something back and Sam blushed. Dean couldn’t believe his eyes. Did . . . Did Sammy just blush!? Sam then hurried toward the car, shifting his backpack.

            As the younger Winchester clambered inside, Dean struggled to hide his annoyance. Sam’s brief interaction with Gabriel had reminded Dean of the other problem. The Sammy problem. The an-archangel-might-be-in-love-with-Sammy-problem. Dean had more than enough on his plate with Cas, and now Sam was once again added to the mix. If this angel - Gabriel - was interested in Sam in a romantic way, Dean knew that he would have to put a stop to it. It wasn’t because that Dean was against gays - hell he wasn’t so sure about himself when he was around Cas - but because Dean cared about his little brother. He knew how angels were, and he didn’t want Sam to get hurt, or worse.

            “Have fun talking to the angel?” Dean said bitterly. For a moment, he regretted the sharpness in his tone, but then straightened up.

            Sam stiffened for a split second before regaining his composure. “Gabriel was just asking me about Castiel.”

            Dean’s eyes narrowed into a glare. Of course Sammy would bring that up. Dean didn’t bother to ask another question - Sam would just find a way to change the subject or only half-answer it. He pulled away from the school and whipped out of the parking lot. “By the way, did you find Castiel?” Sam asked, looking at Dean with genuine curiosity.

            The older Winchester pursed his lips together in a thin line. “No.”

            Sam mulled over that. “He probably went home, Dean. That’s what I’d do if—” he broke off and looked at his shoes.

            _If what, Sam?_ Dean thought, irritated _. If that angel-dick did that to you? Hell . . . I don’t think even angels are that mean. Shit. Cas, I’m sorry._

            For the rest of the ride home, neither of them spoke. Sam to be lost in his own thoughts, and Dean did is best to focus on driving. He knew that once they got home, their father would have a thousand questions to ask, and none of them were “how was your day, son?” Most of them were on monster behavior, angels, demons, etc. Everything creep-tacular, John Winchester was interested in. Everything involving his sons’ emotional statuses and personal lives, he shied away from like a green horse.

            As the pulled into the old, rundown house they were currently squatting in, Dean saw John’s black Sierra Grande in the drive. He let out a small sigh as he pulled in and shut off the Impala’s engine.

            “Are you ready to play Twenty Questions?” Sam asked. Even though it was meant to be a joke, Dean could hear the dread in his little brother’s voice. At least, even now, they found something to agree on.

            Dean let himself smirk just a little. “Yeah, try fifty,” he muttered before getting out of the car. Sam did the same, and they both headed into the house.

 

* * * * *

 

            After John Winchester had questioned them thoroughly on the monsters they spent time with eight hours out of every day, Dean made dinner for him and Sam. John had said that he had a hunt he was planning to go on once the sun set. Dean had asked if he could tag along, but John just told him to stay at “home” and watch over Sam.

            Any other older brother might be annoyed, or even angered by this. They might take it out on their younger brother, seeing them as the real problem in this situation. But not Dean. Dean didn’t blame Sam for anything. In a way, Dean was more mature than most boys his age in that sense. He wasn’t bratty or spoiled in any way; he knew that more often than not, he couldn’t get what he wanted, and tried to make the best of what he did have.

            So Dean didn’t really mind staying at the house with Sammy. He’d be able to look after him then – make sure no monster, or no angel paid him a visit.

            “Dean, can we have Mac and Cheese for dinner?” Sam asked. He sat at an old, dusty table in the house’s small kitchen with an insanely large textbook in front of him. They had lucked out this time, but more often than not, the houses they stayed in were completely bereft of furniture. This house, however, had a few luxuries - a kitchen table, a stove built in to the wall, a few cabinets and cupboards lining the kitchen walls, a couch, a coffee table, a recliner, and a broken lamp. It wasn’t much, and Dean wasn’t quite sure why these were even still here. It was obvious that most of the other furniture had been removed and taken somewhere else; it didn’t make sense that these things were left behind.

            “Maybe,” Dean murmured, rummaging through the plastic bags of meager groceries John had picked up earlier that day. “I’ll have to see if we have it . . .”

            “Dean, I have a question,” Sam asked a few moments later.

            Sighing, Dean motioned with one of his hands for Sam to proceed. “Um . . . do you think that I could . . . go to Homecoming this year?”

            Dean stopped searching through the bags. He hadn’t been expecting that question. “Wait, what?”

            Sam looked down a little sheepishly. “I mean . . . I just thought that it would be fun. Adam was talking about it – he thinks he’s going and I kinda wanna go too.”

            “I . . . guess it’s okay. I mean, you have to ask Dad, but . . . it’s cool with me. You got a date, or somethin’?” Dean asked. In a way, he hoped that his little brother did, but at the same time, he wanted the answer to be a no. He hoped that Sam had a girlfriend, or someone he was looking to take, but he didn’t want Sam to be thinking about asking that freakin’ angel to go with him.

            Sam shook his head. “No, I wasn’t thinking of . . . really going with anyone.”

            “Oh,” Dean said, unable to keep the relief out of his voice. “Well, goin’ stag is fine – hell, you have more fun that way.”

            “Yeah . . . uh, Dean?”

            “What, Sammy?” The older Winchester returned to looking through the bags, wondering if John had gotten the Mac and Cheese Sam had wanted.

            “Do you . . . I mean . . . Are you . . . worried that I like Gabriel?”

            Dean froze again and slowly turned to look at his brother. “Why? Do you?”

            Sam faltered for a moment before sighing. “I mean . . .”

            “Aw hell, Sam!”

            “Dean, it’s just . . . He’s not a bad guy – he’s my friend.”

            “Friend?”

            “Yeah, a _friend_ , Dean,” Sam said again, being sure to emphasize the word. “We aren’t . . . boyfriends or anything.”

            “Cas said—”

            Sam cut him off before he could finish. “If Gabriel does like me like that he . . . he hasn’t said anything. We’re just friends, okay? Nothing is gonna happen between us, Dean. I’m not gay, and neither is he. You don’t have to worry about me, and you certainly don’t have to worry about _that._ ”

            Dean thought about that for a second. Maybe Cas had just gotten it wrong. Maybe Sam was telling the truth. I mean, Dean never saw Sammy as being attracted to other boys. He never saw his little brother as being interested in that sort of thing. Dean felt a small glimmer of hope; maybe he really _didn’t_ have to worry about Sam. Maybe he could let his guard down for a while and not worry about some stupid angel trying to seduce him.

            “Are you sure?” Dean asked. He figured that he might as well let Sam _think_ that he was going to forget all about it. Just because he gave the impression that he had, didn’t mean he had to. _I can at least keep an eye on him,_ Dean thought. _Make sure he’s not pulling my leg or anything._

            Sam nodded, and then went back to his homework. It was then that Dean spied the box of Mac and Cheese hiding at the bottom of one of the bags. “There it is! Sammy, your Mac and Cheese is on the way!”

 

* * * * *

 

            Later that night, after Sam had gone to bed, Dean sat up in the living room, waiting for John to return. He had a shotgun in his lap, and was staring silently at the wall opposite of the recliner he currently rested in. Now that he was alone with his thoughts, Dean couldn’t help but think about Castiel, and how crushed the angel had looked. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the image out of his head.

            _I wish I could just tell him I’m sorry,_ Dean thought in defeat. _I just wish I could talk to him._ Then Dean remembered what Sam’s dorky friend Adam had said. He had prayed to Michael and then Michael had suddenly appeared and saved him from the demons. Maybe if Dean tried praying to Cas . . .

            The hunter set his shotgun on the floor beside the recliner and closed his eyes. He brought his hands together and interlocked his fingers. _I pray to the angel Castiel that he may hear me and . . . know that I am sorry. Cas, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings it’s just . . . you kind of freaked me out there. I wasn’t expecting it and . . . and I just kind of . . . overreacted. Hell, I’m sorry Cas. I’m really, really sorry._

            Dean put his head in his hands then, his stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. He let out a tired sigh and began to rub his eyes.

            Just then, Dean heard a soft sound, almost like a flutter of wings.

            And then a deep voice murmured behind him, “Hello Dean.”

            Dean jumped to his feet and whirled around to see a red-eyed, tired-looking Castiel. The nerdy angel still wore his trench coat, white shirt, and blue tie. Without thinking, Dean rushed forward and threw his arms around the angel. “Man, is it good to see you, Cas,” Dean said, his voice betraying his happiness.

            Cas just stood there for a few seconds, rigid and a bit confused. And then, slowly, Cas hugged him back, wrapping his tiny arms around Dean’s torso. “It’s good to see you too, Dean. But I have to be honest, I was not expecting such a reception.”

            Dean pulled back, and looked at the angel’s bewildered face. “I’m just . . . I didn’t think you’d actually come, that’s all.”

            Cas looked down. “Why would I not come to you, Dean? You are my best friend . . . even if you are not a very nice one.”

            “Shit, Cas . . . I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. I just . . . I didn’t know _how_ to react to that,” Dean tried to amend. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

            Cas shook his head. “You don’t need to make it up to me, Dean. It’s unnecessary.”

            “The hell it ain’t,” Dean said, shaking his head. “I wanna do something for you.”

            “Dean . . . really . . . it’s okay. I understand. Really, I do. Things are so complex with humans – there are so many standards, so many traditions, so many expectations. With us angels, things are so simple and straightforward. We just had a clash of cultures, that’s all,” Cas tried to explain.

            Dean stared at the angel with tight eyes. “Your eyes say different.”

            Cas didn’t have an answer for that.

            “Cas,” Dean said, feeling rather brave. He knew that there was only one way to fix this situation; one way to get back in Cas’s good graces. “Would you like to go to Homecoming with me?”

            The angel stared at Dean with wide eyes. “You . . . you mean as friends, or . . .”

            Dean took a deep breath. He could hardly take the look of awe and look of pleased disbelief on Cas’s face. He looked . . . kinda cute. “As my date, Cas.”

            Cas stared at him, his bright, blue eyes sparkling with joy. It was clear that he was trying to contain his excitement. “I . . . I’d be delighted to, Dean.”


	13. Chapter 13

            Sam was happy for Dean and Cas. Even though he knew his brother would deny it for as long as he could, Dean did feel  _something_ for that nerdy angel. In fact, Sam could venture a guess that he hadn’t been happier since coming to Supernatural High. He had a best friend, a handsome angel that was a bit more than just a friend, and his brother finally had someone to make him happy. Things were going incredibly well, and Sam couldn’t really complain.

            There was really only _one_ thing that could have been better: his relationship with Gabriel and Dean’s acceptance of it. Sam had stopped trying to convince himself that he wasn’t attracted to the archangel. Every time he tried to force himself to think so, he was proven wrong by the angel himself. Whenever Sam had thoughts about whether or not he really loved Gabriel, the angel always found ways to make the doubts disappear. Odds were, Gabriel was scanning his thoughts almost every second of the day, but Sam was strangely okay with that. In a way, it was a bit comforting to know that someone cared so much.

            Sam continued to meet Gabriel in the bathroom every day during lunch. He would make up some lie for Dean - he would say that he and Adam were going to the library to read up on some lore, or that they had a paper that was due that they needed to work on. Dean never really questioned this; he just figured Sammy was being a nerd, as always. Adam, on the other hand, did ask a few questions. He would casually ask why Sam had to go to the bathroom so much, and if he had an issue with his digestive system. Sam would always find ways to get around the question. He didn’t want Adam to know that he was “seeing” Gabriel. Sam didn’t know how Adam felt about that sort of thing, and didn’t know how he would react. He didn’t want to lose a friend just because he was having a little fun with an angel.

            However, Sam still struggled to accept the fact that he was . . . involved with another man. Even if it was an angel, who was technically a celestial being with no definitive gender.

            About two weeks after Dean “proposed” to Cas (as Sam called it behind his brother’s back), Sam realized that Homecoming was only two weeks away. He heard some of the girls chatting about it in the hall, and it had been on his mind for a while. He knew that Adam wanted to go, and Sam found himself wanting to as well. Not with Adam, of course, but just by himself. He thought that it would be a fun night, and a good experience.

            One afternoon in the bathroom, after Gabriel and Sam had finished their . . . activities, Sam brought up the topic. “Hey . . . Gabriel?”

            “Yeah, bucko?” the archangel asked. He stood in front of one of the mirror, fixing his mussed hair. The first few buttons on his white shirt were also undone thanks to Sam’s eager hands.

            “Um . . . are you going to Homecoming this year?” Sam asked, unable to keep the “awkward tone” out of his voice. He sounded like a frightened boy from Middle School trying to ask a girl out for the first time.

            Gabriel paused, his hands frozen in midair. He slowly lowered them and glanced slyly over at this human friend. “Is that an invitation?”

            Sam fumbled with his fingers. “Not exactly – you know we can’t go together; Dean would throw a fit. But, we might be able to . . . meet there.”

            The archangel frowned slightly at the mention of Dean. The older Winchester always had ways of ruining Gabriel’s fun it seemed. Then, after a few seconds of deliberation, he nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He gave Sam a rather sheepish smile. “Wanna meet up here?”

            Sam smiled furtively and nodded. “Absolutely.”

 

* * * * *

 

            Sixth period was one of Sam’s favorites – Honors English 9 with Mr. Chuck Shurley. Mr. Shurley was an . . . eccentric man. Sam was certain that most of his “visionary” works came from some idea he’d had while smoking a joint or something. However, Sam couldn’t deny that some of Mr. Shurley’s ideas were brilliant. The things that man could think up – they seemed almost too real. Sometimes, Sam thought that the things Mr. Shurley said might actually come true.

            The day that Sam had spoken to Gabriel about the dance was the day he met Ruby. She was shorter than Sam, and had long, thick dark hair. Her eyes were a cold, forbidding brown color that still managed to captivate. She was undeniably beautiful – everything about her drew Sam in like a moth to a flame.

            Mr. Shurley had assigned an assignment that required partner work. Sam had been a little stunned when Ruby came over and sat down beside him. She was so beautiful – not at all like someone he would expect to even think of him. “Hey, you’re Sam Winchester, aren’t you?” she asked, looking at him with soft eyes. She battered her eyelashes a couple time. Sam swallowed and shifted uneasily in his seat.

            “Oh . . . yeah,” Sam said, looking up at the girl with wide eyes. “Who are you?”

            “I’m Ruby,” she answered, her eyes flashing black for a millisecond.

            Sam started then. With a sharp intake of breath, he turned back to the notebook on his desk. Ruby let out a labored sigh. “Look, I know I’m a demon – it doesn’t mean that I’m some evil bitch.”

            He didn’t answer right away. He mulled over this idea for a moment. From the moment he’d known that demons even exist, he had been taught that they were all evil and corrupt. Both his father and Dean had always said that demons could never be trusted. The only good demon was a dead one. But, right off hand, Ruby didn’t seem bad. “What do you want?” Sam asked quietly.

            Ruby pulled up a seat beside him and sat down. “Mr. Shurley said we needed partners, so here I am,” she said simply. “I don’t understand what’s so hard about it.”

            Sam reluctantly said yes, but still remained a little wary of her. Her looks were not enough to override the fact that she was a demon.

            “So, the assignment was to write the most creative story we could think of . . . What do you think we should do ours on?” Ruby asked, as if nothing had transpired between them.

            As much as he wanted to continue to give her the silent-treatment, he knew it would do little to drive her away. I guess I kinda have to work with her, Sam thought grudgingly. Ugh, maybe I can talk to Mr. Shurley after class and get assigned another partner . . . And if Mr. Shurley won’t do it, then I can tell Dean. He’ll do something. Can’t tell Dad. Do not tell Dad. “I dunno,” he mumbled beginning to draw a stick figure in the margin of notebook paper.

            “Wow, you sure are helpful,” Ruby muttered, taking out her own notebook. She wrote “Story Ideas” at the top of the page and began to make bullet points. “Maybe we could do something . . . fantasy-like. Like Tolkien style. What do you think?”

            Sam just hummed in agreement, not even bothering to give input. He had finished his stick figure, but felt something was missing. He began to give it hair, and curled it back like Gabriel’s.

            The demon huffed and wrote “Fantasy/Middle-Earth” next to the first bullet. She then happened to glance over at Sam’s notebook. “What are you doing?”

            “Doodling,” Sam answered. He had finished the hair and was now drawing two large wings jutting from the stick man’s back.

            Ruby shrugged and wrote “angel” down next to the second bullet. “Okay . . . so you have a thing for angels? Is that why you hate demons so much?” Ruby teased, setting her pencil down. She faced Sam now, and ran a hand through her long, dark brown hair. Sam gulped. It did look rather soft . . . and it framed her face quite nicely . . .

            Sam shrugged in response to the question. “I guess you could say that.”

            Ruby studied the angel again. “Is that based on anyone in particular?” she queried innocently.

            For a moment, Sam considered telling her, but then thought against it. Demons were cruel, cold and manipulative. She would take the information about him and Gabriel and tell everyone she could. Sam realized, much to his horror, that he was beginning to soften around this demon. He stiffened slightly and began to reconstruct his internal barriers. “It’s none of your business, demon,” he nearly growled.

            Ruby rolled her eyes, and raised her hands up in defense. “Jeez, kid. It was just a question.”

            Sam just narrowed his eyes. “ _Christo._ ”

            Ruby let out a demonic hiss and cringed. Her soft eyes turned a ferocious black. Her hands gripped the desk tightly and, for a moment, Sam was certain she would break it in half. When the effect of the word wore off, she gave Sam a death-glare. “You son of a bitch,” she growled. “If we weren’t in school right now, I would rip off your skin and then devour your flesh!”

            “Yeah, good luck with that,” Sam grunted. “I have a badass hunter for a dad, a badass hunter for an older brother, and a guardian angel – and they’re all just waiting to jump in to protect me. You lay one hand on me, and they’ll disintegrate you.”

            Ruby glowered at him. “You don’t have to bring the angel into this, you know. You act like I’m some kind of monster.”

“You just threatened to peel off my skin and eat my flesh!” Sam pointed out sharply.

            “Because you said—” Ruby paused, and lowered her voice dramatically, “the C-word.”

            Sam rolled his eyes. What was she playing at? What was she trying to accomplish? “Look, let’s just . . . get this stupid story written as soon as possible, and then never speak to each other again, huh?”

            Ruby continued to glare, but gave him a curt nod. Sam let out a sharp huff. He had a feeling that he was going to hate Mr. Shurley’s class now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is some graphic language and some sexual content in this chapter. Most of you probably don't care about this, but those of you that do, or are uncomfortable, skip to the second part of the chapter.

            “Ugh, you’re not even into it,” Meg growled, shoving Lucifer off her. They were lying in the back seat of some car Meg had stolen a while back. Meg sat up, smoothed her hair, and pulled down her skirt again. Lucifer sighed and began the complex process of putting his jeans back on inside the cramped backseat of a Riviera. When he was fully clothed again, Lucifer rubbed the back of his neck. Okay, so he had been a little . . . distracted while he was with Meg, but who could blame him? Gabriel was seeing a human of all things! And then there was little Castiel – also hopelessly in love with a Winchester. So what if he hadn’t been giving Meg his full attention while they were having sex? Maybe she should have been more interesting!

            Lucifer straightened his shirt and sighed. Sometimes, it seemed that Meg was just too demanding for his liking. Didn’t she understand that he was having issues of his own?

            Meg pulled her shirt over her head. “What is it with you, anyway?” she asked, pulling it down over her chest and torso. She sounded a bit pissed. “I was lying there begging you for it, and you couldn’t even - you know what, never mind.” Without warning, she threw open the car door and stumbled out into the parking lot.

            The archangel groaned and followed her. “Meg,” he said tiredly. He wasn’t in the mood to make her feel special right now. “I’m just really distracted, okay?”

            “So distracted that you can’t even fuck me?” Meg shot back hotly. Lucifer had to admit that she did look sexy as hell when she was angry.

            “I’m worried about my brothers, okay?” he muttered. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it. I better be getting home anyway before Michael throws a fit and tries to restart the apocalypse.”

            As he turned to leave, he felt Meg’s hand curl around his bicep. She shoved him against the side of the station wagon with such force that the car nearly tipped over. Lucifer had to admit: he was paying attention to her now. “You aren’t going anywhere,” she purred. “Not until we have a chat.”

            “A chat?” he queried mischievously. “I was hoping for something else.”

            “I bet you were,” Meg murmured, her hands now running down his chest. “I know you like it rough, Luci.”

            “Don’t call me that,” the angel growled.

            “Luci-baby,” Meg trilled. “C’mon . . . I’m right here.” She opened the car door behind him and roughly shoved him inside. She climbed in on top of him, slamming the door in her wake. “I want you.”

            Lucifer groaned. “Dammit, Meg,” he hissed.

            But it was too late. Meg had the upper hand, and before he knew it, he was helpless to her charm. “I wanna know what’s going on with you. What is bothering you?”

            Lucifer let out a hollow laugh. “Oh, look at that. A demon that cares. How funny.”

            “Shut up, dick,” she muttered harshly. “I’m trying to _help,_ you ass.”

            “You can’t help!” Lucifer shot back. “There is absolutely nothing you could do.”

            “Oh really? You know what, I disagree with that.”

            “Of course you do.”

            “You know why?”

            “Enlighten me, sweetheart.”

            “Because I’ve got you like putty in my hands,” Meg purred. She pulled his shirt over his head and ran her icy fingers down his chest. The archangel shivered. Damn, that felt good. “And I can make you scream if I want to.”

            “I . . .” Lucifer whispered, his voice sounding breathy and labored now. Her hands had just reached his waist and had begun to undo the buttons on his jeans. “I hardly see how this helps.”

            “Don’t worry, Luci-baby. I’m gonna make you feel _real good_ and then you can tell me about all your problems. But I won’t do anything unless you promise to tell me everything.”

            Lucifer was panting now. He had no choice. He needed her. Badly.

            “Yeah, sure. Whatever. Now take your fucking clothes off.”

 

* * * * *

  

            “Where’ve you been?” Balthazar inquired as Lucifer returned to Heaven.

            The older angel gave his little brother a fearsome glare. “None of your business,” he growled.

            Balthazar winced humorously. “Ooh, did your demon give you something?”

            Lucifer just let out a low hiss and stalked past him. “Gabriel! Castiel!” he shouted. “I need to talk to you.” After his . . . “fun” with Meg, he’d told her everything, as he’d agreed. And, to his surprise, Meg actually had a few good ideas. One of them being an intervention. At first, Lucifer had laughed but then he realized: it was just crazy enough that it might actually work.

            “It won’t do any good,” Balthazar muttered. “They’re out.”

            “Out? What do you mean ‘out’?” Lucifer snapped, whipping around to face him.

            Balthazar raised up his hands defensively. “Hey, I dunno, bro. All I know is that Cas left first – said he was gonna go meet someone. And then Gabriel came by about a half hour later – about twenty minutes or so before you got here – and said he was going out too. He didn’t tell me where or why.”

            Lucifer gritted his teeth. “Fine. _GABRIEL. CASTIEL. THIS IS LUCIFER. GET YOUR FEATHERY ASSES HOME RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME, I WILL GET MICHAEL TO HELP ME LOCK YOU IN THE CAGE!_ ” he roared.

            Balthazar shrunk away from the archangel, and proceeded to make himself scarce. Moments later, Gabriel and Cas materialized in front of their older brother. They both looked very embarrassed as if they’d been caught red-handed. _Maybe they_ were _visiting their_ humans _!_ Lucifer thought angrily.

            The archangel snapped his fingers and two chairs appeared behind his younger brothers. “Sit.”

            Gabriel and Castiel immediately obliged. They sat there, looking very guilty. Cas had interlocked his fingers and had them resting in his lap. He refused to meet Lucifer’s gaze. Gabriel was leaning back, his arms folded across his chest. Lucifer knew that he was trying to put on a bold façade, but he could see the fear in his little brother’s eyes.

            “Okay, thank you for coming,” Lucifer said, looking between the two of them. “So glad to have you here. Please turn all your electronic devices off, and absolutely no texting your human boyfriends for class is now in session. Little brothers, Satan is going to teach you all about love.”

            Gabriel was smirking now, struggling to hold in a laugh that was threatening to break loose. “This is gonna be good,” he whispered to Cas.

            “Are you going to teach us . . . how to make people love us?” little Castiel asked, blinking innocently at his older brother.

            Lucifer shook his head. “No. I’m going to teach you about the horrendous _Homo sapien_ and why they are _awful_ creature to fall in love with.”

            Now, both Cas and Gabriel had gone completely silent.

            Lucifer saw that as his cue to continue. “Now, Father made humans in his own image, supposedly. So, it is completely natural that we feel . . . attracted to them.”

            “You never did,” Gabriel pointed out. “You hated their asses.”

            “Well . . . yes,” Lucifer allowed. “But I did not let them taint me. I knew what they really were – broken, flawed monsters full of hatred, rage, failure, and sadness. That is all they are, brothers. That is all they are. But I know why most angels like them – why they watch over them. They are Father’s last creation. They are Father’s ‘masterpiece’, as he unjustly dubbed them. Gabriel, you are in love with Samuel Winchester – son of Mary and John Winchester. And Castiel, you are in love with Dean Winchester – son of Mary and John Winchester, and older brother to Samuel Winchester. What it is about these two humans in particular – how they’ve managed to ensnare the hearts of my two favorite brothers, I will never know. But I know that this . . . bond must be broken.”

            “Says you,” Gabriel snapped. “Lucifer, I may be younger than you, but I’ve been around since dirt. I know what humans are like – I’ve been around them a hell of a lot more than you have. And I know how beautiful and wonderful they can be, and I _am not_ ashamed to say that I am in love with a human. I am not afraid to shout to the world that I am in love with Sam Winchester.”

            Lucifer shook his head. He wasn’t going to give up that easily. “You say you know humans, Gabriel. Do you know how many relationships humans have? How many hearts they break? How many times they take a mate and then _throw them away_ for someone else? Do you think that they value true love and affection? Do you think that they care about anything more than sex or physical interaction?”

            Gabriel did not respond to that.

            “What about you, Castiel? You know about Dean’s reputation – I’m sure you’ve heard of it. All the girls he’s fucked. All the sluts he’s been through – how little _they_ mattered to him. You think you’re better than them? You think you _mean more_ to him than they did? How long before he gets tired of toying with you? How long until he gets _bored_ with you? How long before he _leaves your sorry ass?!_ ”

            “Lucifer, that’s enough!” Gabriel shouted, jumping to his feet.

            It was then that the archangel noticed the tears in Castiel’s eyes. He took a step back and Gabriel worked to comfort the younger angel. “What is your _problem_ , Luci?” Gabriel snarled. “Why can’t you accept the fact that we love humans? Why can’t you just live with it? It’s not like we’re hurting anyone! All we want to do is be happy – and being with Sam and Dean . . . that makes us happier than any angel ever could.”

            Lucifer glowered at them. Why did they have to be so adamant? Why did they have to be so difficult? Didn’t they see that he was trying to _help_ them? That he was trying to _save_ them from unnecessary heartbreak? “Whatever,” he grumbled, painfully letting the topic rest. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”


	15. Chapter 15

            Before Adam even knew what hit him, it was the week of the Homecoming dance. He felt that warm, bubbly feeling of excitement well up inside him. Adam knew that he shouldn’t be so excited about a dance – that was what girls did – but he couldn’t help it. Adam was just excited to have a night out with his friends and goof around on a dance floor for a few hours. The idea sounded pretty damn fun to him, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

            As Homecoming loomed closer, so did Michael. The archangel came to his room every single day now after school. Instead of going back to Heaven with his siblings, Michael would walk Adam home. Kate never knew this, of course, and Adam would always enter the house alone. He would say hello to his mom, talk for five minutes or so, and then retreat to his room. By the time he got there, Michael had already materialized. Sometimes he stood there, staring out the window, other times he was lost in thought, and every now in then, Adam would walk in to find the gorgeous archangel sprawled across his bed in a very inviting manner. “Just testing it,” he’d say. “I’ve never had use for such human things. I was curious.”

            “Yeah, sure,” Adam had said the third time he’d caught the archangel. “I bet you were.” Before the angel could disagree, Adam flopped down on the mattress beside him. The moment he did so, he felt a rush of heat spread throughout his body. Suddenly, he became very embarrassed. This was another guy, and he was lying on a bed with him . . . It wasn’t like they were seven and having a slumber party. Michael was an archangel that was millenniums old.

            Michael stiffened ever so slightly, but didn’t shy away, or leap up from the bed. “Do you think that I was doing something different?” the archangel asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

            Adam found it extremely attractive; Michael rarely smirked or smiled – he’d noticed that at school – but whenever Michael was around or near Adam, he seemed to loosen up. A smile would sneak onto his face for a millisecond before disappearing again. Adam felt privileged to be one of the few – if not the only person – who got to see these rarities. “I dunno . . . maybe.”

            Without warning, Michael shifted closer. His face was an inch from Adam’s now, maybe less. “Perhaps . . . you are right.” Before Adam could answer, Michael’s lips were on his. The kiss was soft, tentative, and even a little awkward. It wasn’t the Adam _felt_ awkward kissing Michael – he loved every moment of it – but it was clear that Michael had never kissed any human – or any other creature for that matter – in his life.

            The kiss lasted for about a minute before Michael pulled away. “Was that . . . satisfactory?” he asked. Adam thought her heard a twinge of fear in the archangel’s voice. “I’ve . . . never done that before, but I’ve watched enough humans do it . .. . I thought that I could . . . imitate them . . .”

            Adam smiled. “Michael . . . it was more than satisfactory,” he said with a breathy laugh.

            Michael smiled again. “Good . . . I’m . . . pleased you enjoyed it. I did as well . . . I liked it very much, actually.”

            “Great, ’cause I wanna do it again,” Adam murmured, wrapping his arms around Michael’s neck. At first, the angel tensed again, surprised by Adam’s sudden actions, but then he relaxed. Michael’s hand cupped Adam’s cheek, and his thumb began to caress the skin under the human’s eye. Adam’s head was swimming in the overload of emotions and senses. Everything blurred together in a beautiful array of colors and feelings. Suddenly, he wanted more. He pulled Michael closer, now knotting his fingers in the archangel’s hair. Michael must have sensed Adam’s eagerness, for he moved, straddling the younger boy and pinning him to the bed.

            Michael slowly began to pull away. Adam let out a small sigh, expecting Michael to stop, or leave him, but he didn’t. Instead, the angel began to kiss along his jawline and then down his neck. Adam was breathing heavier than before. He let out a breathy moan. “M . . . M-Mike . . . Michael . . .” The feeling of the archangel’s lips on his neck made him tremble. If this was what kissing was like, what would . . . other things be like? His head swam at the thought. He couldn’t imagine it.

            The archangel moved to the other side of Adam’s neck now and kissed up to the human’s ear. Adam gripped Michael tighter than he had before as the archangel gently bit down on his earlobe. “Michael . . .” he whispered again.

            “IT WAS THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT!!”

            Michael jumped off Adam. For the first time since Adam knew him, he swore he saw Michael’s transparent wings as the archangel made a miraculous leap off the bed. He landed on his feet, a long, sharp, silver blade materializing in his hand. Adam sat up and looked over at the nightstand where his phone was now blaring the 80s song. “Sorry, it’s just my phone,” Adam said, flushing.

            The archangel straightened up, cleared his throat, and put his angel blade away. “Oh . . . of course it was. It just . . . surprised me, that’s all.”

            Adam managed a smile. If his heart hadn’t been pounding, and if he hadn’t felt like he was on the verge of having a heart-attack, he might have laughed at Michael’s awkwardness. It was kind of adorable.

            He glanced over at the caller ID and sighed at what he saw. The name “SAM WINCHESTER” was flashing on the screen. “I . . . better take this,” Adam murmured, grabbing the phone.

            Michael nodded stiffly. “Uh . . . I should . . . um . . . I should go.”

            “No,” Adam said, shaking his head. “Stay.” He left no room for Michael to argue as he answered the phone. “Hello?”

            “Adam,” Sam’s voice drifted in from the other end. “Hey, how’s it goin’?”

            “Uh, fine,” Adam said. His eyes were still fixated on Michael. He still couldn’t get over how incredibly good-looking Michael was. He truly did look like an angel. It took his breath away.

            “Good,” Sam said. Adam could hear the unease in his friend’s voice; Sam hadn’t called to chat. “Look, Adam . . .  Can I tell you something?”

            “Sure?”

            “If I . . . Say if I was . . . in a relationship with another guy . . . you wouldn’t be weirded out or anything, right?”

            That was not what Adam was expecting. He could feel Michael’s eyes boring into him. “No,” Adam finally answered. “No, I wouldn’t be . . . as long as you’d be okay with me being in a relationship with another guy – and not with you, someone . . . else.” He had added the last part quickly, and didn’t miss the smile that ghosted across Michael’s face.

            “No way,” Sam said, sounding relieved.

            “Uh, yeah . . .” Adam said with a bit of a laugh in his voice.

            “Who is it?” Sam asked.

            Adam looked at Michael, but the archangel’s face had darkened considerably. Adam gulped. “Um . . . I don’t think he’d be okay with me telling you.”

            “What? Is he ashamed of you or something?” Sam asked. He sounded particularly harsh, even a little bit offended.

            The floor creaked as Michael took another step toward the bed. Adam looked at him with questioning eyes. The archangel closed his own eyes and sighed. Finally, he nodded. “Tell him,” he mouthed.

            Adam gulped again. He knew that Sam would never tell anyone -- that wasn’t his style -- but he knew that this was big. Michael was . . . He’s admitting that he’s my . . . “Michael,” Adam blurted out.

            “Michael?!” Sam hissed into the phone. “The Michael? The archangel?”

            “Um . . yes.”

            “So my family aren’t the only ones who find the angels attractive . . .” Sam murmured.

            “Huh?” Michael was listening closer now too.

            “Well first Dean and Castiel and then . . . you and Michael and me and . . .”

            “Who?” Adam pressed. Michael had sat down on the bed and was studying Adam’s face closely.

            “His name is . . . Gabriel.”

            “WHAT?!” Michael suddenly shouted.

            “Adam? Who’s there?” Sam’s voice came from the other end of the line.

            “Uh . . . Sam I think I gotta call you back.” Michael leapt up from the bed and looked like he was about to zap out of the room. Without even bidding his friend farewell, he ended the call, tossing the phone on his bed. “Michael!”

            “I can’t believe it,” Michael growled. “We all knew that Castiel would eventually fall for that . . . human but I can’t believe Gabriel—” he trailed off as he looked at Adam.

            Adam stood there, staring at Michael with a mixture of hurt and rage on his face. “What’s wrong with humans, Michael?” he demanded.

            Michael’s eyebrows knitted in confusion, and then he seemed to put two-and-two together. “Father, I didn’t mean you, Adam.”

            “How do I know?” Adam shot back, folding his arms across his chest.

            The archangel sighed. “Adam, it’s just that it’s looked down upon for angels to be with humans. We’re raised to believe it’s wrong. Besides, most humans don’t deserve to be with angels.”

            Adam felt as if he had been punched in the gut. “Then why the hell are you here?” he snapped.

            “Adam—”

            “No, you know what,” Adam muttered. His vision was starting to get a little blurry, but he tried to blink away the tears. “Don’t bother explaining it to me. I’m just a human after all!”

            “Adam, I said most humans,” Michael pointed out.

            “You are just like the rest of them,” Adam growled. “Just like all the other monsters at school. You all think you’re better than humans, and I am sick of it! I am sick of being treated like I am nothing – like I’m . . . like I’m a side-character that only appears in a few episodes of a TV series before . . . getting killed off or imprisoned, and then being forgotten by the fan-base ninety percent of the time!”

            “Adam—”

            “Just go,” he sighed. “I don’t want to see you right now.”

            There was a sigh, a soft flutter of wings, and Michael was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

            “Dean . . . do you . . . really like me?” Cas asked. He sat in the sprawling backseat of the Impala with Dean. Cas was leaning up against the human, his head resting on Dean’s shoulder. They were parked in the midst of a few other cars – mostly couples that had been daring enough to go to the last drive-in movie of the season. Some B-movie was playing on the screen, and Dean had long ago turned down the movie’s volume in the Impala and had resorted to watching Cas instead. Cas had _tried_ to pay attention to the movie at first, and he gathered that it had something to do with college kids going to some clichéd “haunted place” in the middle of a deserted forest that just happened to be on top of an Indian burial ground. “What an uncanny coincidence,” Cas had said when all of these details were revealed in one poorly scripted line of exposition. Dean had thrown his head back with laughter.

            Dean looked down at him with a very confused expression. He wrapped one arm around Cas’s shoulder, smirking. “Of course I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t take you out to a romantic drive-in movie.”

            Cas glanced up at the screen just in time to see a woman get sawed in half by a chainsaw. “This is not very romantic, Dean,” he pointed out, motioning to the blood and gore that had replaced what had been a decent-looking woman.

            “It’s romantic enough for me,” Dean murmured. His face was so close to Cas’s now. The young angel found it difficult to concentrate. “Cas,” dean said suddenly, watching the angel with smoldering emerald eyes. “I . . . I asked you to Homecoming because, yeah, I felt like a dick, but . . . That wasn’t the only reason. I’ve always liked you, Cas. I never really knew _why_ but I liked you. And . . . I am so glad you made me ask you because . . . I don’t think that I’ve ever been happier.”

            Cas stared at Dan with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Dean . . .” he breathed.

            The human smiled slightly. Cas couldn’t get over how pure he was – how brightly he shone. “Yeah, Cas?”

            The angel hesitated for just a moment. “Dean . . . I’d like to . . . kiss you.” Cas flinched automatically, bracing himself for the rejection.

            But to his surprise, Dean didn’t shy away or frown. His smile just widened. “C’mere, then.”

            Cas’s heart was pounding as he leaned up to press his lips to Dean’s . . .

            “DEAN!”

            They both nearly jumped out of their skin. The next thing Cas knew, the passenger’s door of the Impala was pulled open. Dean immediately drew a silver knife and had it pointed at the intruder. However, when Dean saw who had interrupted, he quickly lowered it. “Sammy! What the hell are you—?”

            “Dean, it’s dad! He’s hurt!”

           

* * * * *

 

            Cas had offered to go to the hospital with the Winchester boys but Dean insisted that it wasn’t necessary. So, Cas decided to head home for the evening. He would be watching over them, and if their father was in dire shape, he would assist in healing him.

            When Cas returned to Heaven, he was greeted by a somewhat unexpected surprise. Waiting for him in his quarters was Gabriel. It wasn’t unusual that Gabriel would visit, and showing up unannounced was undoubtedly his style, but not at night. Gabriel never visited at night.

            “Brother?” Castiel greeted, the confusion of this meeting unmasked in his voice.

            Gabriel’s face was hard, cold. “Cassie, we have a problem.”

            Cas cocked his head to the side and motioned for Gabriel to elaborate.

            “Big Brother’s been watching us.”

            “Which one? I have many, Gabriel,” Cas pointed out nervously. His mind began to work furiously, trying to find out what this would mean. He had Dean made no attempts to be discreet as far as their relationship was confirmed – in fact, Dean had made it clear to almost everyone at school that Cas was _his_ , and if you went after him, you would get your ass kicked.

            “Lucifer, mostly, but you already know that,” Gabriel said. The memory of Lucifer’s “lecture” came back, and Castiel winced. He knew that Lucifer was harsh, but his words had hurt the younger angel. “But now Michael knows.”

            Cas gulped. Michael – the oldest, strongest, and fiercest of the angels – was more than just a little intimidating. He was the one that declared that angels were forbidden to have any romantic relations with humans. He outlawed Nephilim – the offspring of humans and angels. He was very strict when it came to abiding by that law. “What . . . are they going to do, Gabriel? What are _we_ going to do?”

            Gabriel pursed his lips together. “I . . . I don’t know, Cassie . . . If they get Raphael to join on their side . . . Look, if things head south – really south, we have to go to Sam and Dean immediately. Because _they_ are going to be the ones they go after. We have to be ready to protect them.”

            “So . . . you and Sam actually . . . are . . . ?” Cas asked. He knew that Gabriel loved the younger Winchester – that was no secret – but he didn’t know that he and Sam were . . .”

            Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded. “Yeah, so?” There was a hint of challenge in his voice.

            Cas just stared at him. “Gabriel . . . you do know that if Dean finds out about you and Sam, Lucifer and Michael are going to look like harmless puppies.”

            “Yes, Cas,” Gabriel muttered. “I’m aware.”

            “So,” Cas murmured after a few healthy moments of awkward silence. “What do we do now?”

            Gabriel thought about this for a moment. “I think our best bet would be to go pay our favorite humans a visit.”

            “Dean told me—”

            “I think that they need a little R n’ R right now, don’t you? Besides, we can heal their father while we’re there, and they’ll love us forever!” Gabriel joked. His voice was cheerful, but his eyes were clouded with worry.

            Cas took a deep breath and nodded. He’d trust Gabriel with anything. “Okay . . . let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so short! The next one will be longer! I promise.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere this chapter got lost in the uploads. So sorry!

            Dean sat in the hospital room with his head in his hands. In the bed, hooked up to what seemed like every machine in existence, was his father. Sam had left about ten minutes prior. He couldn’t take it anymore – he had to get out of there. Dean understood; he hated hospitals too. He knew that Sam also hated seeing his father lying in hospital bed . . . a hair’s breadth away from the threshold of Death’s Door. Again, Dean understood. Sam had never really seen his father hurt before – John always tried to hide it from him. John sheltered Sam – tried to keep him safe in the dark, but not Dean. Dean saw everything. He was used to seeing his father looking like a wreck. When John would come staggering home after an exhausting hunt, or when he would limp back, bruised and occasionally broken, Dean would always be there to welcome him home. He’d help his dad patch up his wounds. He’d seen his father imp, bleed, wince, cry out, dig a    bullet out of his chest, and sew up his own cuts. But no matter what happened, John Winchester _never_ went to the hospital. He never was . . . out of commission like this.

            It worried Dean. He knew that John must’ve been severely hurt if he was in the hospital. The nurse had sad that John had checked himself in before collapsing. After they began working on him, they began to call the various cell numbers he kept in his wallets. After numerous attempts, they eventually called Dean’s current number. The only problem was that he had accidentally left his phone at home in his eagerness to see Cas. And poor Sammy had to answer that phone call. _I should’ve been there,_ Dean thought mournfully. _I should’ve been ther to answer the phone . . . to explain what happened to him. He never should have had to go through that – not alone . . . He must’ve been terrified._

            It was odd though. How did Sam even _get_ to the drive-in? How did he even know where to go? On the way to the hospital, Sam had muttered something about a friend dropping him off, but it was still sketchy. The more Dean thought about it, the more it bothered him. _When Dad gets better, I think it’s time I get some real answers,_ he reasoned grimly. He never understood why Sam felt the need to be so secretive. Every time one of the brothers lied to the other, or kept some kind of silly secret, it backfired. The other would eventually find out, and then everyone would get pissed, and it just never ended well.

            Dean sighed and glanced up at his father lying there. Sammy’s secrets weren’t the only thing that he needed to be worried about. He shook his head. _What the hell were you hunting, Dad?_ he wondered. If something was strong enough to put his father in this shape . . . and if it was still out there. _Did you mess up on a normal hunt? That’s not like you at all, but . . . if something big is out there . . . if something out there is strong enough to put you down for the count . . ._ Dean didn’t want to think about it. It was a terrifying thought.

            “Dean.”

            The teenager jumped to his feet, thoughts of the creature that had demobilized his father swarming his mind. He whipped around in the direction of the noise, his hand on the knife he carried in his back pocket. Dean let out a slightly annoyed sigh and straightened up as he saw Cas standing in the doorway. The angel looked down sheepishly and began to play with his tie. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I . . . I didn’t mean to scare you.”

            “Cas, what the hell are you doing here?” Dean asked. He was aware of the sharpness in his voice, but he didn’t exactly appreciate being startled like that. Nonetheless, he couldn’t deny that he _was_ a bit glad to see Cas again. “I told you you didn’t have to come.”

            The angel shrugged. “I don’t mind,” he replied. “Besides, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

            Dean felt himself smile. “Thanks, Cas.” Before the angel could respond, Dean had crossed the room and pulled him into his arms.

            “How are you feeling?” Cas inquired, wrapping his arms around Dean in return.

            “Okay . . . It’s just . . . I’m worried about my dad, that’s all,” Dean murmured. “I don’t want him to . . .”

            “I understand,” Cas whispered. “Well . . . not really, but . . . I can . . . see how you would feel that way.”

            Dean let out a hollow laugh. “Thanks Cas.”

            As Dean pulled away, he saw something odd in Cas’s eyes. It looked almost like . . . fear. “Cas,” he said. He didn’t try to hide the concern in his voice. The only one around that could hear was Cas, and he didn’t care if the angel saw him in a . . . more _vulnerable_ state. “Is . . . everything okay?”

            Cas smiled, but it was forced. “You’re asking me that?” he said with a laugh. “Don’t worry about me. I’m okay – really. I’m here for you.”

            Dean didn’t buy it. “Cas . . .” he said, his voice becoming serious. “What’s going on?”

            The angel paused. He looked as if he were internally debating something. “Dean . . .” he sighed. “We have . . . a problem.”

            His stomach clenched at those words. What did Cas mean? A problem between the two of them? A problem it their relationship? Dean never thought that he would ever be so attached to the nerdy angel, but he found his stomach twisting and turning at the thought of losing him. He gulped. “O- Okay. What is it?”

            Cas studied him for a moment, his eyes running over Dean’s body, assessing him. “It’s my older brothers – Lucifer and Michael. They . . . they know about you and me.”

            Dean didn’t understand. “Well . . . I would imagine they did. I mean, Sammy knows about us. Hell, the whole school probably knows about us.”

            “No, I mean . . .” Cas trailed off, struggling to find the right words. “My brothers are . . . very particular about this kind of thing. They – Lucifer in particular . . . they don’t really _like_ humans.”

            That was all Dean needed to hear; he knew where they were going with this. “So . . . your brothers don’t approve of us?”

            Cas made a face. “Well . . . no, not really. But . . . it’s not just that they don’t approve, they will . . . try to _force_ you to stop seeing me . . . By any means necessary.”

            Dean figured as much. _Fuckin’ angels._ “Cas,” he said, taking his angel’s hands in his. “I . . . I’m not gonna let two angels with sticks up their butts tell me what I can and cannot do. Not Heaven, not Hell, not even God himself could keep me from being with you.”

            The black-haired angel just stared at him. Dean thought he saw tears spring up in Cas’s eyes. “Dean . . .” his voice was soft, and ridden with emotion – with love. “I . . . I love you.”

            For a long while, Dean said nothing in response. He hadn’t expected this – not in his wildest dreams. It made no sense that an angel loved him . . . it made no sense that _he_ found himself loving that angel back. Yes, Dean returned Cas’s feelings, but it all . . . it all seemed so sudden. It was almost out of a fairytale – a bizarre, crazy fairytale that sounded like it was written by the Grimm brothers, but a fairytale nonetheless. “Cas . . .” he whispered. He didn’t know if he should say it back. Should he? Should he tell him how he felt too? “I think I love you too.” He couldn’t keep the joy out of his voice; he felt like he was in middle school and confessing to a girl that he had a crush on her for the first time. Maybe they were rushing into their relationship, but Dean didn’t care. He was tired of carrying. All that mattered was Cas – Cas and Sammy. They were his world; they were all that mattered.

            The angel just smiled widely. Dean thought he is his dark blue eyes glisten with moisture. Cas’s hands reached up suddenly and cupped Dean’s face. Dean knew what was coming next and closed his eyes as Cas’s lips collided with his.

 

* * * * *

 

            Dean stayed at the hospital the rest of the night. Sam showed up about twenty minutes after Cas. Dean was relieved that his brother didn’t question or comment on the angel’s presence. When Dawn came, Dean was still awake, but just barely. Sam had fallen asleep long ago, his head resting on his older brother’s shoulder. Cas sat in the chair next to Dean, holding the human’s hand and giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze every now and then.

            “Dean,” Cas whispered at around 8:30 AM that morning. “I . . . I can heal him.”

            The older Winchester boy didn’t answer. He knew that Cas could, but he hadn’t dared to ask. For one thing, he didn’t want Cas to get in any more trouble than he was already in and another: he knew that John wouldn’t want any supernatural creature to cure him. He was adamant about not taking help from them; Dean believed that it would make John feel like he _owed_ them in some way.

            “Cas . . . I don’t know if . . . Do you think he’ll get better? On his own, I mean,” Dean murmured. If Cas said that John would be fine on his own, then Dean would decline. But, if Cas thought – even for a second – that John might not make it, he’d say yes. It was a judgment call that Dean would have to make, and he was ready to make it if push came to shove.

            The angel considered this for a moment. He stood up, and let go of Dean’s hand. At first, Dean frowned at the loss of contact, but watched as Cas approached John. The dark-haired angel pulled the right sleeve of his trench coat up to his elbow and put a pale hand on John’s forehead. Dean watched in awe as Cas’s eyes glowed a bright, neon-blue color. For a split second, Dean thought he saw two shadowy wings jutting from his boyfriend’s back. Cas stayed like this for about five seconds before his eyes returned to their normal shade of deep blue and he removed his hand from John’s forehead. “His injuries on the outside are minimal,” he announced. “But he has internal bleeding and some ruptured organs. Right now, the only thing keeping him alive is the life support.”

            Dean felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. He swallowed a lump that had been rising in his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Uh . . . okay. Do you have any idea what did this?”

            The angel let out a sigh, pulling down his sleeve. “Nothing human, that’s for sure.”

            “Cas . . . could you . . .” Dean paused. He didn’t care if his father was pissed at him for this. He needed John alive. “Can you fix him?”

            A faint smile flashed across Cas’s face. He locked eyes with Dean, looking a little smug – it was an expression Dean had never seen on the angel’s face before, but he was pretty sure that he liked it. “Of course I can fix him.” And he put his hand to John’s forehead once more.


	18. Chapter 18

            When Sam woke up, he found John sitting up in his bed, awake. He nearly jumped out of his chair only to be caught by his older brother. “Hold your horses, Sammy,” Dean said with a chuckle. “Dad’s fine. You’re fine. We’re all fine.”

            “Thanks to Dean,” John said. While the words were not negative – even somewhat positive – Sam could detect the malignance in his father’s voice.

            “What happened?” Sam asked, looking at Dean instead of his father. “Did Castiel—”

            “What that its name?” John snapped. Sam saw Dean flinch and immediately felt bad. He shot Dean an apologetic glance, but his big brother wasn’t looking at him.

            “It’s none of your business what _his_ name was,” Dean growled. “You should be thankful that he even saved you at all considering how you reacted!”

            “That thing was a monster, Dean,” John insisted, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Sam knew that this discussion was taking a turn for the worst. That fact that Dean was mouthing off to John and actually contradicting him was scary in itself, but John’s reaction was even worse.

            Dean’s jaw set. “He’s an angel.”

            “He is one of the things we are meant to kill, Dean,” John said. “Angel or not, it isn’t human. We kill it.”

            Sam knew that this wasn’t going to go anywhere good. He began to pray. _Gabriel, we might need help down—_

            “We _will not_ kill Castiel! And if you try, I swear to God I will stop you.”

            John got up from the bed and took a step toward Dean. “Why do you care so much, Dean? Why do you _care_ about him?”

            Sam stopped breathing as he waited for Dean’s answer. Dean stood up from his seat next to Sam, and shifted nervously back and forth from foot to foot. “Dad . . . I . . . I love him.”

            Their father faltered; he froze. His eyes were wide. “You . . . what?”

            Dean puffed out his chest. “I love him. I love Castiel.”

            _GABRIEL! CASTIEL! ALERT! ALERT! THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY BAD! THIS IS SERIOUS! GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN HERE BECAUSE SHIT IS ABOUT TO HIT THE FAN!_ Sam was practically screaming in his head now.

            John started toward Dean, his hands balled into fists, but just then, Sam heard a soft _whoosh_. “Whoa, where’s the fire?” Sam turned to see Gabriel and Castiel standing on the side of the bed opposite to John. Gabriel was sucking on a lollipop, but Castiel looked absolutely murderous. Gabriel was the one who had spoken and was now looking at John with a grin on his face. Castiel looked like he was about to kill someone.

            John looked at them both, confused. Then he saw Castiel. “You.”

            Castiel narrowed his eyes. “Yes, me,” he murmured. “I’m the one that saved your life, and you repaid me by trying to stab me. And then you threatened Dean. You’re lucky that I’m not smiting you right now. The only reason I’m not is because I know it would upset Dean.”

            “And I’m Gabriel, by the way,” the older angel added, removing the lollipop from his mouth. “Archangel of the Lord, BFF of Sammy, older brother of Cassie – at your service.”

            “Cas . . .” Dean said, looking at him and Gabriel in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

            “Sam called us,” Castiel explained, locking eyes with Dean. “He said that there might be trouble.”

            “You did this?” John demanded, turning his fiery gaze onto Sam.

            Immediately, Gabriel stepped in front of Sam protectively. “Easy, bucko,” Gabriel said, his voice taking on a new, serious tone. Sam had to admit that he found it _a bit_ attractive. “That’s far enough.” Sam could feel Dean’s seething gaze on him and knew it was all over; Dean knew about him and Gabriel. It would be impossible to miss due to the protective gleam in the archangel’s eyes.

            “What, are both my sons involved with angels?” John demanded, sounding more bewildered now that angry.

            “So what if they are?” Gabriel inquired. “Look – John right? I know a thing or two about shitty dads, and you’re heading down that road. So what if your sons are gay for angels? Don’t you want them to be happy?”

            John shook his head. “I don’t care if they’re gay,” he amended. “I just . . . I wish they weren’t with supernatural creatures – creatures like the kind we hunt. I’d be fine with it if they were with humans, but . . .”

            Sam detected a hint of resignation in his father’s voice. Was Gabriel actually talking him down? “We aren’t monsters,” Cas pointed out. He had moved to stand beside Dean while John and Gabriel had faced off. “And . . . we love your sons. We’ll never hurt them, and we’ll never leave unless they shove us out the door.” Sam saw Dean smirked and secretly wondered if that had ever occurred between those two.

            His father was silence for a long time. He sat on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted; old. John Winchester was thoroughly weathered. His youth and vigor had been eroded away with time, and it had left and old, tired man in its wake. When John didn’t immediately respond, Dean jumped in, trying to change the subject.

            “Dad, what attacked you?” he asked the question that had been eating away at both brothers ever since they heard that their father was in the hospital. Sam also made note of the fact that Dean was was holding Cas’s hand as he spoke.

            John looked up at his son and sighed again, “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’ve been . . . tracking a demon for a while now – locating the signs in surrounding areas, trying to pin it down . . .”

            “Yellow eyes?” Dean asked. All of the Winchesters stiffened at the mention of that demon and Sam didn’t miss the sharpness in his brother’s voice. Cas was looking at his boyfriend with a curious expression while Gabriel stared at Sam. The archangel’s eyes said: “Tell me later.”

            “No,” John replied with a shake of his head. He pressed one palm to his temple as if he had a terrible headache. Considering what he had just been through, Sam didn’t blame him if he did. “No, another one. Whoever she is, she’s very powerful.”

            “She?” Sam piped up. His mind immediately strayed to Ruby. Could he be . . . ? No, that’s stupid, he dismissed. He tried to forget the way his stomach had lurched at the thought of his father going after her. She might’ve been a demon, but she never did anything wrong to him. In fact, she’d been almost nice to him.

            “Yes. I’ve researached her – tracked her . . . But I couldn’t find her for the longest time . . . And then I was so sure that I had. All of the signs led to one place – an old cabin in this woodland that used to be used as a campground. It’s abandoned now, but – Anyway, I went there and everything seemed deserted. But, as I entered the cabin, there was this flash of bright, white light that threw me backwards. I ended up hitting a tree, and when I came to, the white light was gone but clouds of demon smoke had surrounded the house. I knew that my ribs were broken and that I was seriously hurt but I managed to crawl away and get to my truck. Just as I reached it I swore I heard dogs howling . . . like they’d caught my scent and were trying to chase me down. When I got to the hospital, I couldn’t hold out anymore. I just collapsed . . .”

            “Do you know the demon’s name?” Castiel asked. Sam noticed that during John’s story, both angels had straightened up, as if they were preparing for a fight.

            “Lilith,” John replied. “Her name was Lilith.”


	19. Chapter 19

            Lucifer was not having a good day. First, he had a fight with Meg. Then, he got a bad grade on his Calculus test. Then, good ole’ Dad decided it was time for his punishment to resume – just because he was out of the cage didn’t mean that he had been entirely forgiven by his Father. Every now and then, dear old Dad would send his son bursts of pain – pain that could severely cripple, or possibly even kill a human. Yeah, that sucked. And of course there was still the Gabriel and Castiel situation. And when Michael found him late one afternoon, Lucifer was about ready to fling himself back into the cage. The _last_ thing he needed was for Michael to start being a dick again.

            They were in Heaven’s garden; Lucifer liked it there. Even though he would never tell anyone, he liked the flowers. He liked the sound of the miniature waterfall his Father had added. The garden itself was built at Lucifer’s request. He had loved Earth the moment his Father let Lucifer and his brothers and sisters set foot on it. But they weren’t allowed to stay – Earth was for the humans, God had said. But Lucifer had loved Earth so much that God built the garden for him. Then, Lucifer fell and the garden was mostly forgotten. The only angel that still visited it and looked after things there was Joshua. Since Lucifer had returned to Heaven, he had taken over as its sole caretaker.

            When Michael arrived, Lucifer was watering the lilies. He watched the singular water droplets slide across the petals and then drip down into the soil. Lucifer found it astounding how life worked – how his Father had made water the basis of all life. It was so ingenious and so simple at the same time. Lucifer stood near the center of the garden by the waterfall when he heard the flutter of Michael’s massive wings. It was always easy to tell when it was _Michael_ and not some other angel. The sound of Michael’s humongous white wings was unmistakable. Lucifer let out a sharp sigh. He wasn’t in the mood for another pissing contest with his brother. “Hello, Michael,” he greeted, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.    

            “Since when is Gabriel dating a human?” Michael demanded.

            Lucifer looked at his older brother. He put down his watering can and slipped off his canvas gloves. He put one hand on his hip and shifted his weight to one side. He looked like he was the physical embodiment of sass. _Well, he sure didn’t waste any time getting to the point,_ he thought. “Castiel is too – the older Winchester brother.”

            “Castiel, I knew about,” Michael grumbled. “He was a lost cause from the beginning – I mean his name _alone_ means ‘to fall from God,’ I mean _come on._ Father couldn’t have spelled it out any clearer. But Gabriel?” Michael let out a tired, bitter laugh. “I thought our little brother – our _real_ little brother – was better than that! And he’s with a _hunter_ of all things! Is he mad?”

            Lucifer listened to Michael rant with a mixture of hope and satisfaction. If Castiel and Gabriel wouldn’t listen to him, perhaps they’d listen to Michael. After all, he was the only authority in Heaven at this point in time. If Michael commanded that they cease seeing the Winchester boys, they might have to. Lucifer also secretly hoped that him and his brother would finally find common ground. They – after millenniums upon millenniums of disagreement – might have finally agreed upon something.

            “I tried an intervention already,” Lucifer informed him nonchalantly. He picked up his watering can and moved along to the tulip patch a few feet away. Michael followed him impatiently. Lucifer liked watching him jitter. “They refused to listen to reason,” he continued as if he were talking about what he’d had for lunch. He tried his best to act like he wasn’t interested. He wanted _Michael_ to ask _him_ for help or advice. As Lucifer turned his back on his brother to quench the tulips’ thirst, he smirked to himself. _Luci’s playing hard to get._

            “Then we’ll have to try something else,” Michael murmured, almost to himself.

            “We?” Lucifer queried. “I don’t recall volunteering. I tried, brother. They’re too far gone.” Of course, he didn’t believe any of that. He knew that Gabriel and Castiel could be forced into compliance, but he wanted to see Michael beg.

            “Gabriel is _your_ brother too, Lucifer. As is Castiel. Those humans led them astray – corrupted them. We need to bring them back to the flock – back home – and make them see reason.”

            “You have fun with that,” Lucifer replied. He set the watering can down and put his gloves back on. “It won’t work.”

            Michael sighed. “Then . . . what do you suggest?”

            Lucifer stopped. He turned to face his brother with false astonishment. “You’re asking me?” His voice came out with thick sarcastic surprise. “Me? Lucifer? The Devil? Why Michael, I’m flattered!”

            Michael’s face significantly hardened. “Lucifer,” he said. His voice took on a new, serious tone when he spoke; it was a tone that only meant trouble.

            Satan sighed in exasperation. He faced the flowerbed once more and began to smooth the dirt around their bases. He had just planted them a week ago and wanted to make sure that they were nicely settled. He spoke as he did this, “Gabriel and Castile will not cease their . . . activities. Not easily, at least. The only way they _would_ is if their beloved humans suddenly lost interest in them. I already have a female demon working her magic on little Sammy – you can thank Meg for that, by the way. You remember Meg, right? My demon girlfriend? The woman you said was the scum of the Earth?”

            “What about the other one, Lucifer?” Michael asked, ignoring Lucifer’s questions. He had swiftly changed the subject as if Meg had never been mentioned. Lucifer supposed that was from the best. _At least he’s not insulting her,_ he thought.

            “Well, Michael,” he said, standing up straight. He removed his gloves and gave his brother a cheeky grin. “I’ve got something special in mind for Dean Winchester.”


	20. Chapter 20

            “Oh, you look so handsome!”

            Adam sighed as his mother snapped another picture. He stood at the foot of the stairs dressed in a simple black suit. He looked tired and bored – all he could think was: _I could be watching_ Sherlock _right now . . . Or sleeping . . . Sleeping would be better_. Adam had been so excited to go earlier – he’d never been to a Homecoming, after all – but now all he wanted to do was stay at home, lie in bed, eat pizza, and watch Netflix. If his mother wasn’t forcing him to go, that’s what he _would_ have been doing at that moment. It’s what he _wanted_ to be doing, that was for sure.

            “Oh, Adam,” his mother chided as she observed his grim expression. “Cheer up! You’ll have lots of fun once you get there.”

            Of course, Adam would never tell her the real reason he didn’t want to go. Originally, he’d wanted to go see Sam, but after Michael . . . The archangel had become the real reason to go at all – at least before their fight. Now he didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to risk seeing Michael there. The archangel clearly believed that humans were below him – that they shouldn’t be in a relationship with angels. They didn’t deserve it.

            _I was so stupid,_ he thought, glancing out the window at the wet street. Leaves stuck to the pavement from the rainfall earlier that day. He hadn’t spoken, or prayed to his – to _Michael_ – since their argument. And that was fine with him. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself. He would never admit that he _did_ miss Michael. He missed seeing the archangel every day. He missed lying in bed with him. He missed his soft lips and how they would gently brush across his face. He missed everything about him. He wanted _his_ archangel back, but refused to bow to him. _I won’t cave,_ he thought with determination. _Let Michael come crawling back to me! He needs to know that we’re equal. I’m not below him, and he isn’t above or below me._

            Maybe the whole issue would be resolved at the dance. It was wishful thinking, but it was something.

            After about a dozen more pictures, Adam and his mother headed out to the care. “It’s a shame your father couldn’t be here,” his mother commented as they pulled out of the driveway.

            _It’s a shame Michael couldn’t be here,_ he thought with remorse. “Yeah,” he sighed, making no effort to conceal his melancholy.

            “What’s the matter?”

            “Nothing . . .” When his mother kept shooting nervous glances at him, he was forced to elaborate. “Really, mom. I’m fine.” He was lying through his teeth but it got his mother to shut up for the rest of the ride.

 

* * * * *

 

            The theme of the dance was the Roaring Twenties. Since most girls wore short dresses to Homecoming anyway, it fit. Adam could have cared less, of course, but he did like the gold, silver, and black that decorated the gymnasium. There was some food in the cafeteria – finger food, really. Adam glanced over the appetizers and nicely decorated tables briefly before heading into the gym. He saw a few creatures already there: a few vampires in one particularly dark corner, a djin in another – her bright blue skin glowing a fluorescent shade in the half-light. Adam also noticed a few angels gathered around the bleachers. To his relief, Michael was not among them, but he did recognize a few. Zachariah, Anna, and Uriel were all standing around like stiffs. Meanwhile, Balthazar – the yin to Gabriel’s yang when it came to partying – was pestering the DJ who was in the final stages of setting up his equipment.

            Adam awkwardly lingered near the doorway, silently begging Sam to hurry up and get there already. No one was looking at him – who would notice the lonely little human standing all by himself anyway? He let out a small sigh and leaned against the chilled brick wall of the gym. Adam closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, regretting showing up at this stupid dance in the first place.

            There was a loud _whoosh_ and a rustle of wings.

            Adam balled his hands into fists and slowly opened his eyes. A pair of warm brown eyes stared back at him. A few strands of blond hair fell in front of the amber eyes in a few spots. The archangel’s lips curled upward ever-so-slightly. “Hello, Adam.”

            The human did not reply.

            “You look . . . very handsome this evening.”

            Adam’s chest tightened with pain and bitterness. “Go away,” he whispered. He feared that if he spoke any loud, his voice would crack or begin to shake.

            “Adam,” Michael said. His voice sounded strained as if the archangel was in severe pain. “I only have so much time before Lucifer—”

            “I don’t care,” Adam cut him off. “I’m just a human, after all. It’s not like I matter, right? Go have fun with Luci! I’d hate to be an inconvenience!” His voice was louder now, and it shook. It shook with pain, and rage, and a smear of emotions Adam couldn’t identify. But they hurt him. They hurt him in ways he didn’t understand.

            Michael stared at him with stricken eyes. “Would you please hear me out?” When Adam scoffed, he took the human’s hand in his. “Adam . . . please?”

            Adam, on the verge of tears, tried to shove past him, but Michael stopped him with one arm. He shoved Adam back into the wall and pinned him there. No one in the dim light of the gym noticed them. Adam was suddenly very scared and very aroused all at once. Michael used his body to press Adam against the wall and hold him in place. His lips were so close to Adam’s, almost teasing him. Adam nearly died of embarrassment when he felt his hard-on press against Michael’s leg.

            The archangel suddenly smirked. His warm brown eyes took on a new, lustful and dominant look. “Do you like that, little human?” he practically purred in Adam’s ear, his lips ghosting over the warm flesh.

            “I . . .” Adam’s mouth was dry and he stumbled over his words. “I thought w- we were f- fighting.”

            Michael pulled away slightly, much to Adam’s unhappiness. He still held one muscular arm across Adam’s chest, but his body now seemed way too far away. “Why fight when we could be doing so much more?” he prompted. Adam let out a gasp as Michael’s hand snaked down his chest and rested on his crotch. He let out a sharp hiss as the archangel began to palm him through his dress pants. Adam began to breathe very heavily.

            “S- so you’re gon-ahhhh!” He began to quiver as Michael quickened his pace, massaging Adam’s member. He couldn’t formulate words anymore. He threw his head back, his mouth hanging open. Michael took the opportunity to pepper the human’s neck with kisses. He kissed up Adam’s jawline to his ear and gently bit down on his earlobe. Adam nearly became undone right then and there. His hands went up to Adam’s biceps and tried to pull the archangel closer. He wanted him closer. He wanted him everywhere. Adam was making soft mewling noises of pleasure.

            Suddenly, Michael’s mouth disappeared as did his hand. Adam cried out in distress. “Do you want me to stop?” Michael whispered seductively. “Tell me what you want, Adam.”

            Adam was panting. He grabbed Michael’s hand and brought it back to the bulge in his pants. He was so close. “Don’t stop, Michael. Please, don’t – Michael!” As the archangel resumed his ministrations, Adam buried his head in Michael’s shoulder in an attempt to muffle the loud moan that was on the verge of slipping out.

            “We really aren’t in a good location for this,” Michael went on, but he continued to rub Adam through the fabric of his pants. Adam also now felt Michael’s erection digging into his side. Somehow, it made Adam relieved. _At least he finds me attractive too._ “Children might be watching.”

            “Let’s go somewhere else then!” Adam hissed in response.

            Michael smirked and was about to snap his fingers when a cheerful voice made them both freeze. “Oh! Hey, Michael! Hey, Adam!”

            The archangel jumped away from Adam as if he were a disease. Adam’s hands casually came together, covering his lap. Balthazar stood by the door, staring at the two with an amused expression. “Enjoying yourselves?”

            Michael glowered at the younger angel. “I swear if you tell anyone you saw me with him—”

            “Chill, bro,” Balthazar soothed. “I won’t tell Luci or the others . . . By the way, I’d use your angel powers to get rid of that extremely obvious boner you’ve got goin’ on there.”

            Michael seemed to relax but stiffened at the mention of his arousal. A few moments later, it was gone thanks to the power of angel mojo. Even though Michael seemed relieved, Adam felt as if he’d been punched in the gut and then kicked numerous times. His own erection was gone now and his entire body had been replaced with sorrow. All traces of lust were long gone – driven out by a few words – not even a complete sentence. Why was Michael so ashamed of him all the time? Adam dejectedly headed for the gym’s exit, passing Michael and Balthazar in silence. Tears had brimmed in his eyes again and were threatening to fall.

            “Hey, kid,” Balthazar said, watching him go. “Don’t be embarrassed! The best of us always get caught.”

            Adam shook his head. “I don’t think I’m the one that’s embarrassed.” His voice came out half-strangled; thick with the tears he could no longer contain. The hot salt water trickled down his cheeks. He refused to face them. He didn’t want Michael to see him.

            Michael gently grabbed his arm and spun Adam around so he could see him. When Michael saw the tears, and saw the heartbroken look on his human’s face, his eyes softened. “Adam . . .” The pain in his voice nearly slayed the human. It was too much. Adam tried to jerk away, but Michael held him tight.

            “Let me go,” Adam whimpered.

            “Adam, please—”

            “LET ME GO!” Adam was shouting now. He shoved Michael away from him, and for once, the archangel allowed himself to be moved. He stumbled backwards, his face ridden with anguish.

            “Adam . . .”

            Wiping away some of the tears, Adam turned around to leave. Before he could even take a step, however, he heard another flutter of wings. He paused; the wings sounded different from that of normal angels. They sounded . . . choppy, almost as if the wings were broken or misshapen in some way. He turned around slowly and saw a man with dark, dirty blond hair standing next to Michael. Adam recognized him instantly.

            “Hello, brother,” the blond man greeted. He looked from Michael to Adam slowly, observing he unmasked agony on both of their faces. Adam, while no longer crying, was still flushed, and his cheeks were still stained with tears. Michael looked heartbroken and terrified at the same time. Adam had never seen Michael look _afraid_ before in his life. This was a new and petrifying experience. Michael was the strongest angel there was – if _he_ was afraid of the blond man – than that meant something.

            “Lucifer,” Michael murmured. He straightened up slightly in a weak effort to get himself together. “Per—” he stopped and cleared his throat. “Perhaps now is not the best time.”

            “No, it’s fine,” Adam assured, addressing the Devil directly. He saw a look of pure fear flash in Michael’s eyes. Was he actually worried about a puny, insignificant human like Adam? “I was just leaving.”

            Lucifer faced Adam, his face hard and unreadable. He took a single step toward him and cocked his head to the side as if in curiosity.  “What is your name, you peculiar thing?”

            “Adam,” he replied. The fearlessness in his voice surprised him. For the first time in his life he didn’t sound like a little, nerdy coward.

            Lucifer took another step toward him and inhaled. Adam watched the Devil’s lips curl back in disgust. “He _reeks_ of Winchester,” Lucifer snarled. “Michael, why were you engaging in conversation with this abomination? It’s his kin that took our brothers from us!”

            Adam stared. _My kin?_

            Michael straightened up. “He is not an abomination, Lucifer. He is a simple human – no different than any other. So what if he is the son of John Winchester? I hardly see how that matters. Can I not speak to him because of that?” Adam thought he heard actual defiance in his voice. The fact that Michael was defending him – actually standing up for him _for once_ – was a refreshing thought.

            “Maybe he’ll corrupt you too,” Lucifer retorted. “Those Winchesters seem to attract angels to them like moths to a flame.”

            Adam had blanched. He felt light-headed like he was about to pass out. _Winchester . . . I’m a Winchester. That means . . . Sam and Dean . . . Dad . . . I’m a . . . I’m a son of a hunter!_ Everything now made sense. _That_ was why his mother knew about the supernatural. _That_ was why he was invited to attend Supernatural High. He was John Winchester’s son. He was Sam and Deans half-brother.

            At this revelation, his vision began to blur. He fell. Michael shouted his name. And Adam hit the floor with a thud.


	21. Chapter 21

            Cas gave Dean’s fingers a squeeze. The blond-haired human glanced at him quickly before looking back to the road. He drove one-handed, holding Cas’s hand with his other. The young angel was nervous; he’d never been to any social gathering before let alone a dance. He had to admit that he _was_ glad to be going though, especially with Dean. He couldn’t have asked for a better date.

            He looked over at the Winchester, his heart swelling. Dean was so handsome in his suit. Even though Cas had been told that Homecoming wasn’t a black-tie event, Dean still wore one. He looked like a FBI agent, or like a blond James Bond. Cas had never seen him look so formal – so professional – before and he liked it. He liked it more than he would ever admit to Dean, mostly because he knew Dean hated having to dress up. He hated having to wear stiff, uncomfortable suits. Cas knew that he missed his warm flannel and his comfy leather jacket and blue jeans. He knew that he’d rather be wearing the “Winchester style” as Cas had once heard him call it. The angel was grateful that Dean even bothered to dress up at all. Cas wore the same – Gabriel had helped pick it out, and had tied his tie for him. Cas was completely helpless when faced with the silky fabric. He just stood there for nearly forty-five minutes trying to figure out how to work it. Gabriel eventually had to do it for him, fearing that he’d be late picking up Sam if Cas took any longer.

            His older brother had been jittery all day and it got worse as the dance loomed closer. He seemed actually nervous – happy and excited, but nervous. It was a bizarre emotion to see Gabriel experience. Cas had never known him to be uneasy or even slightly scared of anything – he was an archangel, he didn’t have a reason to be. And yet, Cas found it a bit humorous that Sam Winchester made Gabriel become undone in every sense of the word. Of course, when Sam was nearby, Gabriel acted like he was on top of the world – proud, confident, teasing – but Cas knew that the human made him nervous. And that was because Gabriel actually _cared_ what Sam Winchester thought of him. Gabriel never cared what anyone thought of him – at least it seemed that way. But he most definitely cared about Sam’s opinion. And Sam adored him; his soul had never shone brighter.

            “You okay, Cas?” Dean asked, shooting another glance at his angel.

            He nodded. “I’m fine.”

            Dean put on his turn signal as they approached the school. “Just relax. I’m here with ya, and I ain’t gonna leave your side all night. You’ll be fine.”

            Cas nodded and gave Dean’s hand another squeeze. He was so grateful for him.

            As they pulled into the school’s parking lot, Cas smoothed out his suit jacket. Dean pulled over to a secluded corner of the parking lot. The spot he selected was located under the shade of a few trees which made hiding the large, jet-black Impala much easier. Cas just hoped Dean remembered where he parked. Two leaves fell from the branches overhead and cascaded downward until they collided with the Impala’s roof. Cas watched them with curious eyes. Nature always managed to astound him.

            Dean shut off the engine and removed the keys from the ignition. He then looked at Cas expectantly. When the angel did nothing, Dean sighed. Cas was just sitting there like a deer in headlights. He didn’t know what to do – that was Dean’s job. Dean always knew what to do.

            “Cas?” Dean asked, leaning across the armrest.

            When the angel turned to face him, Dean gently pressed his lips to Cas’s. Cas melted almost immediately; he couldn’t take it. The feeling of Dean’s lips on his was just too good. He kissed him back, curling his fingers through his human’s hair. Dean shifted closer, resting his hand on each side of Cas’s face. Letting out a breathy sigh, Cas’s head rolled back as Dean’s hands slid down his neck to his chest. They continued downward while Dean’s lips moved to kiss along Cas’s jawline. The angel pulled Dean closer, making soft sounds of pleasure.

            Dean let out a soft groan as Cas pulled on his blond locks. “God, Cas . . .” he breathed.

            Cas abruptly pulled away, pushing Dean off him. He glowered at the human, folding his arms across his chest. Why did Dean have to say _that_? Why did he have to ruin it when it was going so well?

            “Cas?” Dean asked, clearly dumbfounded and bewildered. “What is it? Did I do something wrong?”

            “Don’t ever say my Father’s name again!” Cas hissed at him. “Especially . . . not during  . . . that.”

            Cas could almost hear the click in Dean’s head as he put two and two together. “ _Oh_ . . .” The revelation came too late of course, and Dean shook his head. “Shit, I’m sorry Cas. I didn’t mean it like that! I was just – it slipped out. It’s not like I said another guy’s name.”

            “You said my Father’s name,” Cas protested.

            Dean took his hand in his. “Cas, you know it’s just an expression. It’s kind of like saying . . . ‘God, this is so good’ or ‘God he’s so handsome’ or ‘God I love him’.”

            Cas looked over at Dean briefly before looking away.

            “Cas,” Dean continued. “You know I love you and only you. There is no one else – no one could ever compare to you. Ever.”

            The angel’s face softened significantly, and then he nodded. “Okay . Perhaps we should go inside now?”

            Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Sure, Cas. Whatever you want.”

 

* * * * *

 

            As they headed into the gym, Cas saw Michael and Lucifer standing in a corner. At first, he stiffened, bracing himself for a fight. However it soon became clear that Michael was very distracted. If Cas didn’t know any better, he’d go as far as to say that he thought Michael looked distressed. Cas briefly wondered why -- Michael was a powerful archangel. What did he have to be worried about?

            “Cassie!”

            The angel turned to see his older brother and another member of his garrison come striding toward him. Dean shifted nervously at his side. “You know this guy?” he asked under his breath.

            “Chill, Dean-o,” Balthazar said as he approached. He smiled at the human despite Dean’s cold manner. “I’m Balthazar, Castiel’s older brother.” He held out his hand to Dean. When Dean didn’t shake it, he let it fall awkwardly to his side. “Anyway, pleased to meet you, homosapien.”

            “Balthazar . . .” Castiel said quietly, trying to hide his own embarrassment. Dean was just staring at the other angel with a peculiar expression on his face, as if he didn’t know what to make of the strange angel.

            The French-sounding angel rolled his eyes. “Cassie, you sound so horrified. You act like I’m about to tell Dean about the time you nearly crushed Australia when you were a baby -- and after Gabriel worked so hard on it.”

            Castiel blanched. “Balthazar, please. No.”

            Dean was smirking, though. Cas didn’t dare imagine what Dean was picturing in his head.

            “Anyway, I won’t be here to embarrass you the whole night, Cas,” Balthazar informed. “I plan to be spending a lot of time with the ladies this evening.” He gave his brother and the human a knowing look. “I plan to take as many of them to bed as I possibly can.”

            Cas face-palmed and let out a disgruntled sigh. “Balthy . . .”

            “I get it, I get it!” Balthazar said, raising his hands defensively. “I’m going! See ya around, Dean-o.”

            Cas couldn’t even bare to look at Dean. How horrified was he? How shocked? “Dean . . . I am so sorry for my brother’s behavior. I swear that most of my family isn’t like that . . . Just Balthazar and Gabriel . . . And Lucifer on occasion.”

            “Oh, it’s fine,” Dean said, but Cas could hear the uncertainty in his voice. Then again, perhaps uncertainty is not a good word to describe it. It was more of . . . amused awe. “He’s . . . interesting.”

            “Uh . . . yeah. You could, um . . . You could say that.”

            “I HAVE ARRIVED!”

            Cas and Dean turned to see Gabriel literally slide into the gymnasium with Sam following closely behind. He had his arms spread out wide and stood in a very theatrical pose. He was smiling brightly, as was Sam. Anyone else might have been embarrassed by Gabriel’s lavish display, but Sam just looked on fondly.

            Gabriel straightened up after a few moments and went back to Sam’s side. Castiel couldn’t help but smile as Gabriel wrapped his arm around Sam’s waist. The angel looked like a midget standing next to the moose of a human being, but they were both happy. Cas could feel the joy radiating off them. Sam and Gabriel’s souls both shone so brightly – brighter than Cas had ever seen them. He wondered what his and Dean’s looked like; he wished that they looked like theirs.

            Cas and Dean moved out of the way as Gabriel sauntered forward with Sam at his side. The archangel looked expectantly at the DJ. “C’mon! Let’s get this party started!” For emphasis, he casually slapped Sam’s ass. Dean glowered fiercely at his younger brother’s date, but Sam just smiled wider.

            Some new dance song that Cas and Dean didn’t recognize or enjoy blared through the speakers. Gabriel, Sam, and a few other creatures rushed out to the dance floor and began to gyrate rather awkwardly. Cas watched, his eye brows knitted in confusion, as they danced. “Dean!” he had to shout of the obnoxious music. The taller man leaned down so the angel could speak directly in his ear. “Is it customary for people to move their hips in such an embarrassing and suggestive manner?”

            Dean laughed at his question. “Cas, this is mild! You don’t wanna see what other ‘dance’ moves people can get away with!”

            Too shy and too confused to dance, Cas acted as Dean’s shadow. He stayed with his date the entire evening, not that he minded; Cas enjoyed being in the human’s presence more than anything else in the world. Dean wasn’t the dancing type anyway, so it it all worked out. Overall, Castiel was very pleased with the evening; he and Dean didn’t seem to be having as much fun as Sam and Gabriel, but he was enjoying himself in his own simple way. He and Dean were different that way it seemed; content in spending time together. Cas was even surprised that Dean wasn’t even that annoyed at being at the dance. He expected his date to be fidgeting or complaining about the style and volume of the music, but he wasn’t. He seemed happy.

            After about a half hour, the gym was packed with various monsters of all shapes, sizes, ages, and vessels. It became hard to make out Sam and Gabriel in the wild crowd on the dance floor. Sam’s head could be seen every now and then in the center of the crowd, but Gabriel was completely lost.

            When a bizarre-sounding techno song finally ceased, a new, softer melody reached Cas’s ears. It was a slow song – the first of the evening. Cas watched as couples began to form. Arms began to wrap around bodies and people moved closer together. This dance looked easy – simplistic. The angel gently tugged on Dean’s sleeve. “Dean . . . can we go dance?”

            Dean looked down at him, uncertain for a moment. He took a second to listen to the song and determine what it was. When he realized, he shrugged and smiled softly. “Sure, I mean it’s Elvis after all. I can dig Elvis.”

            They stepped out onto the dance floor just as Elvis’s voice sounded in the gymnasium.

 

“ _Wise men say_

_Only fools rush in_

_But I can’t help falling in love with you._ ”

 

            Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck since he was the shorter of the two. He shivered slightly as Dean’s snaked around his waist. The human smirked as he pulled Cas closer so their bodies touched. The angel’s heart was hammering in his chest. It marveled him how Dean could make him feel such emotions.

 

“ _Shall I stay?_

_Would it be a sin_

_If I can’t help falling in love with you?_ ”

 

            Dean pressed his lips to the angel’s forehead. “I love you, Castiel,” he whispered.

            Cas felt his eyes grow moist. At first, he didn’t understand why; tears were meant for sadness and pain. Why was he crying now? He sniffled, a single man tear sliding down his cheek. “I love you too, Dean,” he answered with a whimper. “But . . . I appear to be crying.”

 

“ _Like a river flows_

_Surely to the sea,_

_Darling so it goes,_

_Some things are meant to be._ ”

 

            “I can fix that,” Dean whispered, kissing away the tear on his lover’s cheek.

            Cas held him tighter; he didn’t ever want to let him go. Now he knew why he and his brothers had gone to Supernatural High; now he knew why that was a part of the plan. Their Father had wanted to teach them love – all of them. He wanted to show them happiness. He wanted them to experience human emotion and begin to understand the complexities of it. He wanted his children to see and come to love his greatest creation first-hand. And Cas had to say it: his Father had outdone himself when he made Dean Winchester.

 

“ _Take my hand._

_Take my whole life too_

_For I can’t help falling in love with you._ ”

 

            Dean’s arms tightened around his angel. “You mean the world to me, Cas. I don’t know how I ever survived without you. I couldn’t do it again.”

 

“ _Like a river flows,_

_Surely to the sea_

_Darling so it goes,_

_Some things are meant to be._ ”

 

            “I won’t leave,” Cas promised. “I’ll never leave. I’ll always be your angel, and I’ll always watch over you.”

 

“ _Take my hand._

_Take my whole life too_

_For I can’t help falling in love with you._ ”

 

            Cas glanced up to see Dean’s eyes glistening with tears. He smiled, his white teeth glinting in the dim light of the gym. He looked so happy – happier than Cas had ever seen him. “I’ll hold you to that, Cas.”

 

“ _For I can’t help falling in love with you._ ”

 

            Dean’s lips were suddenly on his. There was a passion and hunger in them that struck Cas breathless. His hands knotted in Dean’s hair. Cas’s lips moved against his human’s softly, but with more love than he’d ever felt.

            Someone near them – most likely Balthazar – wolf-whistled.

            Cas didn’t care; he just held Dean closer, dreading the moment he had to let go.

 

“ _For I can’t help falling in love with you._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I had some writer's block and was busy with my other Destiel story "Castiel and the Phantom of the Opera."
> 
> So, I just wanna say that I don't own Twist and Shout, but I couldn't resist throwing in that little reference. Plus, I think "Can't Help Falling in Love" has become the universal theme song for Destiel so . . . But yeah, I just wanted to give that little disclaimer.


	22. Chapter 22

            Dean stared down at his angel. He couldn’t help but marvel at him; how did he – a broken, useless, throwaway grunt – get someone as wonderful, as perfect, and as downright amazing as Castiel? It just didn’t make sense to him; he couldn’t even imagine why God or whoever it was that planned these things out would even put the two of them together. He was glad for it – he’d never been happier in his entire life – but he didn’t understand it. _I should just stop questioning it all together,_ he thought, holding Cas tighter.

            As the song came to an end, Dean looked around at the other couples. Sam and Gabriel were lost somewhere deep in the crowd, but they were in the back of his mind. For once, someone came before Sam. _He’ll be okay,_ Dean told himself, pulling out of Cas’s embrace, but taking the angel’s hand. _Yeah . . . he’ll be fine._ As another song came one – one that was entirely too _modern_ for Dean’s taste – the human led his date toward the exit of the gymnasium. “Wanna get out of here?” he asked Cas over the blaring music.

            Cas grimaced as the others on the dance floor began to jump around in beat to the music. He swerved around them to keep up with Dean. “What?” he called back. “I didn’t hear you!”

            With a sigh, Dean pulled Cas out of the gym then so they can actually hear one another. “I asked if you wanna get outta here,” Dean repeated once they were in the quieter hallway.

            The angel thought about this for a second and glanced back to the dance. “I suppose,” he murmured. “I don’t really like it in there – it’s too loud and . . . their dancing is bizarre.”

            Dean threw his head back in laughter. “Oh, Cas,” he said, wrapping an arm around his date’s shoulder. “You’re still in the process of being introduced to humanity. It gets worse. Believe me.”

            Cas’s eyes narrowed in confusion, but he said no more as they walked toward the door leading out to the parking lot. “Where are we going?” he inquired quietly.

            Shrugging, Dean continued to walk and pulled Cas a little closer. “I figured we could go back out to the car,” he said. “I mean . . . maybe finish what we started earlier? If you want, of course.”

            To his surprise, Cas smiled furtively. Dean had honestly expected the angel turn him down or say that he wasn’t in the mood. With a new spring in his step, Dean led the way back out to the Impala in its very secluded and secure parking place. As they neared the car, Dean removed his arm from Castiel’s shoulder and got in on the driver’s side. Cas got in the passenger’s side and seemed a little awkward – stiff.

            Dean faced him, slipping off the black jacket to his suit. “You okay, Cas?” he asked, tossing the jacket into the backseat.

            The angel nodded in response, but still didn’t look at Dean. “Yes. I am fine.”

            _Uh oh._ Whenever Cas stopped using contractions in his speech, it either meant that he was nervous, scared, or going into “angel mode” where he wasn’t interested in anything human-related. “Are you sure?” Dean asked, leaning over the center armrest.

            Cas looked at him, his blue eyes wide. “Y- yes.” Dean opened his mouth to say more, but Cas cut him off with a kiss. Bewildered, Dean kissed him back. He quickly gave into the kiss, cupping Cas’s face with one of his hands. The angel shifted closer, his hands locking around Dean’s neck and pulling him closer.

            Dean sighed softly into the kiss. He pulled away and kissed along Cas’s jawline and then down his neck. Cas whimpered and made small sighs of pleasure, his hands tangling in Dean’s hair. The gentle tugs from Cas’s fingers made Dean shiver. His own hands began to roam Cas’s body – exploring his chest, sides, back, etc.

            Without warning, Cas took his hands away from Dean’s hair. They ran over his shoulders and down his chest. Then, Cas’s fingers began to undo the buttons on his date’s shirt. Dean froze and pulled back. The angel stared up at Dean, his blue eyes wide and his pink lips slightly swollen from their kiss. “Dean . . .” he breathed, his chest rising and following rapidly. “Can . . . Can we? I want to.”

            The human stared at him in shock for a few moments. It took him a while to get his thoughts in order. A part of him said “Hell yeah, let’s do this.” He was ready to go all the way. He was ready to make Cas his. Damn that pesky conscience of his. “Cas . . . I don’t think that we should.”

            As soon as he said it, Dean regretted it. The look of pain and rejection in his angel’s eyes slayed him. “Oh,” he mumbled, looking down at the floor of the Impala. “That’s . . . that’s okay. I understand, Dean.” The angel’s voice came out half-strangled, and Dean swore he saw a tear slide down his alabaster cheek.

            “No, Cas . . . it . . . It’s not that I don’t want to, okay? I do. I really, _really_ do. But . . . I can’t,” Dean told him, rather pathetically. His heart felt like it was breaking seeing Cas act like that – act as if he weren’t loved.

            Cas met his gaze then, tears glistening in his crystalline eyes. “Is it because I’m an angel?” he demanded. His voice was raw with emotion, and his face was beginning to flush.

            “No!” Dean said quickly. “No, Cas, it’s not that. Really, it’s not.”

            Confusion flashed in his blue gaze, then. “Then . . . what?”

            “You’re . . . you’re still just a kid, Cas,” Dean admitted quietly. “You’re what, fourteen? Fifteen, maybe? Hell, you’re _Sam’s_ age! Cas, I’m eighteen. I’m an adult. I . . . I don’t want to . . . take advantage of you.” He picked his words carefully, trying to make Cas understand and not freak out.

            However, this reasoning did not seem to satisfy the angel. “Dean, I’m actually many thousands of years old – much older than you. I think I can handle this. It’s not like I’m too immature to make my own choices.”

            “But you’re in the body of a _kid_ , Cas,” Dean pointed out. “I . . . I don’t think that it would be fair to him, you know? I’d feel wrong doing it. And I want our first time to be special – I know that sounds stupid and clichéd and like it belongs in a chick flick, but that’s what I want. I want it to be something _worth_ remembering, not something I want to push to the back and forget because I felt dirty doing it.”

            Cas considered this for a while, and then nodded with a small sigh. “I . . . I suppose that makes sense.”

            “And, hey,” Dean murmured, taking Cas’s hand in his. The angel looked up and locked eyes with his boyfriend. A small smile began to form on Dean’s lips. _God, he’s so handsome._ “We’ll make love soon, okay? I promise.”

            “I’ll hold you to it,” Cas answered, his own lips curling into a small smile. “Can . . . Can we do it toward the end of the school year?”

            Dean sighed. A few months of waiting wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. Sure, he _did_ want to have sex with Cas, but . . . at the same time, a few months didn’t do much to change the age of the angel’s vessel. “Why are you so eager?” he asked, deciding to turn the conversation around.

            Cas looks down again and shrugs. “I just . . . I want to be with you. I want you. And I’ve never felt like this ever before. I’ve never felt such . . . things – whatever they are. I don’t know. I just . . . I want to have you. I want you to be mine, Dean.”

            The human shakes his hand and cups Cas’s cheek with one of his hands. “Cas, I’m _already_ yours. We don’t have to sleep together to belong to each other. That will come in its own time. Besides, if you ask me, it’s a bit overrated.” He was lying about this part of course, but if it kept Cas at bay for just a little longer.

            “I guess . . . you would know,” Cas whispered. It sounded like it was meant for Dean not to hear, but they were too close for the human to not pick it up.

            “What?”

            “The girls,” Cas mumbled in explanation. “You’ve . . . done it lots of times, right?”

            Dean stiffens at the question. “Does . . . that matter?”

            “No,” Cas answered, maybe a little too quickly. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Cas spoke again. “Dean . . . how many girls have you been with?”

            Dean’s eyes narrowed and he began to get more nervous. “Is it really that important, Cas?” he demanded. His voice was unintentionally harsh; snappish.

            Cas opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a sudden crack of thunder. Both human and angel jumped at the sound. Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the night. Wind began to roar outside, buffeting the side of the Impala. Dean froze; he’d seen this kind of storm before, and he knew what it meant. Cas must have sensed Dean’s change in demeanor, for he began to question him. “Dean? What is it? What’s wrong?”

            “It’s an electrical storm,” the hunter replied, his body tensing. His mind was already slipping into hunting mode. “And that means that there is a _very_ powerful demon either nearby, or inside the school.” The moment the words passed his lips, his heart lurched. _SAM!_

            Before he could even jump out of the car and grab a weapon from the arsenal in the Impala’s trunk, the earth shook beneath them. There was a loud _BOOM!_ like an explosion had gone off. When Cas and Dean looked back at the school, they saw a large, gaping hole in the side of the building.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for such a long wait! However, this is a rather long chapter, so I hope that makes up for things! I've been really busy with life in general, but more chapters will be coming soon!

            Sam was having too much fun to be bothered by the fact that Cas and Dean had snuck off after the Elvis song. He was happy that his brother had actually found someone he truly seemed to care about and didn’t just want to nail and bail. Besides, he didn’t really have time to feel disturbed or a little freaked out; he had an archangel to entertain . . . a very demanding archangel. Sam knew that Gabriel was going to be the life of the party. In fact he had prepared for that . . . or so he thought. He thought he was ready to handle the archangel’s rambunctious, partying tendencies.

He was wrong.

            Gabriel went above and beyond what Sam had expected. It was nonstop dancing, grinding, etc. Whatever dance moves the other students were pulling off, Gabriel managed to find some way to one-up them and, ultimately, humiliated them. Gabriel even started a dance-off (much to Sam’s embarrassment) with a small group of foolish werewolves.

            Sam wasn’t much of a dancer, really. Dean went as far as to say his little brother had two left feet. Of course, Dean was hardly one to talk; he hardly ever danced. Hell, Sam had been shocked to see Dean out on the dance floor with Cas. He must really care about him, Sam thought, feeling warm and fuzzy inside at the idea of his brother being in love. But, Dean had done his best to dance with Cas even though he moved as stiff as a soldier marching into combat. Sam had done the same for Gabriel, but mostly because the archangel hadn’t given him much of a choice. If Sam even thought about sitting down, Gabriel would sweep up beside him like the mind-reader he was and start to grind on him. Occasionally he’d go for the more classy approach of initiating a waltz . . . sometimes a tango. That was an awkward one; 6’1 Sam getting dipped by 5’4 Gabriel.

            However, even if Sam had the grace of a drunk walrus, he was still glad to be spending time with his angel. He loved to see him dancing like an idiot, completely in his element. He also didn’t mind or object to all the grinding Gabriel did (Sam hadn’t even known the archangel’s hips could move like that -- Gabriel put Shakira to shame). Sam wasn’t even embarrrassed with Gabriel decided to give him the little lap dances. He didn’t really care what anyone else thought about it . . . Then again Sam’s blood was rushing to the wrong head.

            Not too long after Dean and Cas blew the popsicle stand (no pun intended), Gabriel suddenly stopped dancing. His face fell and he began to scan the gymnasium with an almost concerned look on his face. “Where are my brothers?” he asked in a grave voice.

            Sam looked at him with a furrowed brow, confused by his change in mood. “I don’t know . . . Why? Is something wrong?”

            Gabriel just narrowed his eyes in response. The short angel was easily able to bob and weave through the wild crowd. Sam followed with greater difficulty, bumping into numerous people and elbowing a few in the head on accident. Then, the archangel slipped out of sight, disappearing into the myriad of people. Sam began to get a little worried. Granted, his worry was a little foolish; Gabriel was a fearsome archangel and didn’t exactly need protection from any threat. Yet, that fact still didn’t quell the fear that was clawing at Sam’s gut.

            His eyes were still manically searching for Gabriel in the crowd when someone poked him in the ribs. Sam jumped at the sudden contact and spun around to see a familiar, but not a welcome face. “Ruby?” Sam nearly hissed. He didn’t want to do this right now.

            “Hey, Sam,” she said with an almost sheepish smile. “Where’s your angel buddy?”

            Sam swallowed the sharp retort he was chewing on and looked away. “He went to check on his brothers,” Sam answered truthfully.

            “Oh, and he left you all alone?” Ruby inquired with a soft, disarming voice. “How rude! You’re his date . . . Well . . . You are his date, aren’t you?”

            He stiffened significantly at that comment. Ruby didn’t miss it, either. Sam spluttered as he tried to respond quickly and intelligently. He ended up with a disgruntled, “Yeah.”

            “He should be here, then,” Ruby said and looked around, as if she, a demon,  was going to go give an archangel a piece of her mind. “But. it doesn’t really matter now. I’ll keep you company.”

            Despite his annoyance with the situation, Sam decided to try to take the polite approach. “Ruby, it’s okay. Really. I don’t need a chaperone . . . You sound like my brother.”

            “No, not a chaperone!” Ruby amended. “That isn’t what I meant . . . I was saying more along the lines of a companion -- someone to talk to, you know?”

            Sam sighed. “Gabriel will be back s--”

            Ruby took his hand without warning and began to pull him back into the throng of dancing bodies. “C’mon! You’ve seen the best heaven has to offer, so let me show you what hell can do.” Before Sam could object, she was dancing, moving against him, but not grinding like Gabriel. Her movements were smoother – more seductive. Of course, she was much more feminine than Gabriel, and her body could do different things as well. Sam found himself entranced by her enticing and yet restrained movements. She was definitely seducing him – he wasn’t stupid – and yet she seemed to be holding back. Her hips swayed melodically to some Britney Spears song that was entirely outdated. Her dark brown eyes seemed to beckon him closer, and the way she’d occasionally bite her lower lip as she moved nearly drove him wild.

            Suddenly, she was touching him. Her hands were running up and down his chest. They explored freely without any objection from his body. A shuddering breath came from Sam’s lips as his eyelids fluttered briefly. There was something about her touch – it was if a thousand little electrical sparks were coming from her hands and teasing his body. And then, one of her hands began to drift downward. If he hadn’t been so engrossed in her dance and in her succubus-like beauty, he would have spurned her. He would have had enough sense to stop her hand from palming him through his dress pants. He would have gotten away from her.

            “Sam?”

            He froze and then jerked his head around to see a very wounded Gabriel standing there. His whiskey-colored eyes were beginning to blur with tears of betrayal. His face was slightly flushed and he looked smaller and more fragile than ever. Sam felt as if an anvil had been dropped on his chest. “Gabriel!” he said quickly, still not having enough sense to shove Ruby away from him immediately.

            Gabriel just continued to stare at him, his lips quivering a little. “How could you do this? I leave you alone for three minutes and you let that demonic _skank_ all over you?!” Gabriel shouted.

            Sam opened his mouth to defend himself, but no words came out. He knew that what he let Ruby do was unacceptable. He should have stopped her, but he hadn’t. Why hadn’t he? Had Ruby just gotten the better of him? Or was he more attracted to her than he was to Gabriel. He had always told himself that he wasn’t gay . . . He always had liked girls until Gabriel. Was Gabriel just . . . a phase? Was this something he would simply grow out of? All these questions began to swirl around in his mind, keeping him from speaking.

            His silence seemed to be enough for the archangel, for he spun around and fled from the gymnasium.

 

***

 

            Sam sprinted after his angel, shouting for him wildly. “Gabriel! Gabriel, please come back! Gabriel! It was an accident! She just came up to me! Gabriel, please!” he kept shouting, wishing that the archangel would stop and just give him time to explain. _How are you going to explain, Sam?_ a voice inside his head taunted. _You couldn’t explain in the gym, what makes you think you can do it here?_ Now that he was away from Ruby and her demonic, unholy influence, Sam was certain that he could think clearly and explain everything to Gabriel . . . But first he had to catch up with him.

            “Gabriel!” he shouted again. Fear clawed at his stomach; even if he could find Gabriel and say his piece, it didn’t mean that Gabriel had to forgive him. The archangel could easily turn Sam away and tell him it was over. Hell, for all Sam knew, Gabriel could have teleported out of the school entirely; he could have gone back to Heaven. The thought made his chest ache. Whatever doubts Sam had had in the gymnasium were now gone. He now knew how it felt to lose his angel, and he never wanted that. Just thinking of a life without sneaking off to the restrooms at lunch to be with him, or flirting in Biology, or even praying to him at night and having him answer by appearing in Sam’s bedroom with a lollipop or a box of chocolate was too much to bare. Sam knew that he couldn’t live without his angel - he didn’t want to.

_I have to find him._

            “GABRIEL!”

            “What?!” an annoyed, familiar voice snapped from nearby. Sam sprinted through the main hall, looking down all the corridors that split off from it with terrified eyes, searching for the voice. Finally, he found him; the archangel was sitting in front of a group of lockers with his knees pulled up to his chest. Sam loped toward him, and knelt down beside him.

            “Gabriel,” Sam began, spitting out a strand of hair that had found its way into his mouth. He combed the rest of his mane back so he could see his angel, only to have it fall right back in his face. The closer he looked at Gabriel, he noticed that the archangel’s eyes were red and puffy.

            “Save it,” Gabriel snapped, and looked away. His voice cracked. “I don’t care, Samuel. Just . . . Just leave me alone. Go back to Ruby.”

            Sam sighed and tried to take Gabriel’s face in his hand. The archangel just jerked away roughly. “Don’t fucking touch me!”

            “Gabriel, listen to me!” Sam nearly shouted in his face. “Ruby came up to me! I told her that I was with you, but she wouldn’t leave. The next thing I knew, she was all over me. Gabriel . . . You know that I . . . that I love you . . . But, Ruby is still . . . She’s attractive. My body wanted one thing even though I didn’t love her. I didn’t really _want_ her. Please, try to understand Gabriel. I was going to tell her to stop and leave me alone when you showed up! I’d already told her, but she didn’t go.”

            Gabriel remained silent throughout Sam’s explanation. He didn’t look convinced, must to Sam’s despair. “You could have shoved her away. Hell, you could have left and found me.”

            Sam sighed and look down. “I . . . I wasn’t thinking. I was stupid and—”

            “You think that’s going to make it okay?” Gabriel asked sharply. His whiskey-colored eyes were unnaturally cold and hard. “You think that by acknowledging and stating your own stupidity, you can make it better? You think that that is going to make it okay? You think I’ll just forgive--”

            “WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP?!”

            Both Sam and Gabriel looked at each other in surprise, neither of them having said that. They then both turned simultaneously to see Crowley of all people standing on the other end of the hallway, glowering at a tall, slender blond woman. Her pale, gray eyes stared Crowley down with a look so fierce it made Sam shudder. “What did you just say to me, Crossroads?” she snarled at him, her pale eyes suddenly turning pure white. Sam felt his hair stand on end; he’d never seen a demon with white eyes before. He’d seen the usual black and red, sure, but never white. Even Gabriel seemed stunned.

            Suddenly, the archangel gasped. “It’s her,” he breathed to Sam. “It’s Lilith.”

            Sam’s blood ran cold.

            “I told you to shut your mouth already!” Crowley hissed back, seeming unafraid of the extremely powerful demon that was right in front of him. “Look, what we had was great –  I had a great time, you had a great time – but it’s _over_ now. I _dumped you_. Now would you please take a hint and PISS OFF?!” he shouted at her. The King of Hell even had to get up in his tiptoes to reach her face. If Sam hadn’t been scared shitless, he would have found it comical.

            Sam stared at Crowley in shock. Crowley spoke of a relationship, but did he even know who she was? This was Lilith – Adam’s first wife and the first demon created by Lucifer. Sam was so astonished that Lilith was actually _there_ , he didn’t have time to even think about how od it was that Crowley _dated_ the first demon.

            “Fergus, I mentored you,” Lilith said. “You owe me—”

            “I have paid that debt a thousand times over,” Crowley hissed angrily. “I called it off, Lilith. There was a reason for that! I am all for a femme fatale that loves death, pain, and torture, but for the love of Lucifer, you are psychotic! You . . . You’re clingy! And . . . and insane! I cannot deal with your shit all the time, okay? I don’t love you, Lilith! I never did! I thought that was understood – I thought you knew what you were getting into!”

            Lilith faltered for a moment and then glowered at him with all the ferocity of hell. “You _could_ have returned my calls . . . and _not_ have taken over hell in my absence, you back-stabbing son of a bitch!”

            “Someone had to step up!” Crowley retorted with a glare. “I mean you up and disappeared! Hell needed a leader!”

            Lilith growled and, without warning, grabbed Crowley by the throat. “Well, it’s time for another regime change, Fergus. The queen as returned, and she wants her crown.”

            Sam gasped; so this why she suddenly re-emerged. However, Sam’s gasp seemed to echo through the hallway. Both Crowley and Lilith turned to them. Crowley looked horrified to see Sam and Gabriel at the other end of the hallway. Lilith looked absolutely livid. “You two insects _dare_ to listen to our conversation!?” she practically roared. Then she paused. “Wait . . . Why are a human and the archangel Gabriel spying on me? And why do they huddle so close together?”

            Crowley arches an eyebrow. “Well, you’re out of the loop, aren’t you, daring? _Sabriel_ over there is practically the school’s OTP.”

            Gabriel stood up suddenly. Sam watched worriedly as the archangel stepped in front of him protectively. The boy felt his heart clench; even after he’d betrayed him, his angel still stood up to defend him. “Back off, Lilith,” Gabriel warned. His voice was deeper than usual – commanding. For the first time since Sam knew him, Gabriel actually sounded like the badass warrior of God he was.”

            Lilith laughed in response. “Make me, feathers.”

            Gabriel growled low in his throat. “Do not tempt me, you demonic bitch.”

            Sam saw Lilith’s eyes go completely white again. “Oh, but feathers,” she practically purred. “That’s no fun.” Lilith raised her hand slowly, wearing a wicked smirk. Without warning, Sam was in Gabriel’s arms. Not only that, but both angel and human were surrounded by a wall of shimmering, golden feathers. Sam didn’t even have time to admire them before a bright, white light sent them both flying backward. There was an earth-shattering sound that was almost like an explosion. That was when Sam lost consciousness.


	24. Chapter 24

Lucifer watched in silence as Michael paced nervously back and forth in the school’s clinic. Adam was lying on the bed, still unconscious. Lucifer had, at Michael’s panicked request, looked the boy over for any severe injuries and found none. Michael’s behavior as well as the situation itself was confusing and, honesty, Lucifer had no idea what to make of it.

            “Why are you so worried about him?” he asked as he assessed Michael’s tense, slightly shaking form. Lucifer, while he kept a calm, emotionless façade, was panicking on the inside. It didn’t make sense to him; even when Lucifer “betrayed” their father and when He left, Michael had remained stoic. Now, a human was unconscious, and he was close to making his vessel have an aneurysm.

            Michael froze at first. It was brief and unnoticeable to an untrained eye, but painfully obvious to Lucifer. He had always looked up to his brother – admired and studied him for years. He wanted to be just like him, and he knew almost everything about him, including when Michael was freaking out. And that was what was happening now.

            “I just don’t want him to die or be hurt,” Michael said with a straight, impassive face. But Lucifer could see the pain in his eyes. “I mean . . . If people were to think that _we_ caused this, they might punish us or kick us out of school. People, especially humans, do not take kindly to angel violence.”

            Lucifer felt the irritation building within him. It was taking all of his self-control to not grab his brother by the throat and scream that he was a liar. _He’s lying to me,_ the devil thought, feeling betrayed. _And I thought that we’d made progress . . . I thought he trusted me again – considered me a brother, not a traitor . . . I guess blood is only so thick._ “Bullshit, Michael!” he snapped, his silvery voice laced with venom.

            Michael looked at his younger brother, surprise pain as day on his face. “You’re accusing _me_ of deception? _Me?!_ ” he demanded, his voice steadily rising with each word. He was in front of Lucifer now, towering over him, eyes full of hate. Even though Lucifer was incredibly powerful – he still shied away from Michael’s power. Michael was his only true equal – the only one that could match his power, and it scared Lucifer. Victory was not guaranteed where Michael was concerned. Lucifer didn’t back down, nor did he show any of his discomfort outwardly. Instead, he looked his older brother in the eye as Michael went on a small tirade. “ _You_ , Lucifer? You’re going to accuse me? You’re the one that defied our father! You’re the one that is the pathological liar, not me. I don’t keep secrets – I don’t hide and have some secret double life. I am a good son and I listen to what Father told us.”

            Lucifer didn’t flinch at his brother’s words but arched an eyebrow. He knew that this was all a defense mechanism deep down. Michael was trying to steer the conversation away from himself and focus on Lucifer – distract him from the truth. “All that stuff about me – tell me something I don’t know, big brother . . . But was that a hint of hypocrisy I heard?”

            The words caught Michael off guard. For a moment, fear flashed in his eyes – the fear of the truth, of being caught. He quickly shoved that to the deep recesses of his mind though, hiding it from Lucifer’s eyes, but it was too late. “Bite me, Lucifer,” was his only response.

            “Oh-ho-ho!” Lucifer replied with a smirk. Michael’s very “human” response amused, worried, and surprised him all at once. It seemed that the more Lucifer got to know his brother again, the more surprised he became. Michael had changed a great deal in the few millenniums Lucifer had been in the cage. “What an eloquent , well-thought-out, impressive insult, big brother.”

            “Shut _up_ , Lucifer.”

            “Make me, Michael.”

            “Better watch yourself, little brother.”

            “Can’t take it?”

            “Don’t tempt me.”

            “Ooh, I’m so scared.”

            “You should be. I’m the strongest archangel.”

            “Wanna test that theory?”

            “Theory?!”

            “Yeah, theory.”

            “Oh, I’d be delighted.”           

            “Really?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Then go ahead.”

            There was a slight pause as Michael looked slightly taken aback by Lucifer’s invitation. Lucifer laughed then. “Scared, Mikey?”

            “Don’t _ever_ call me by such a slanderous term ever again!”

            “Aw, you’re cute when you’re angry.”

            “I _mean it, Lucifer!_ ”

            “You know, for the _strongest archangel_ , you can be a pretty petulant child,” Lucifer remarked with a snarky smirk.”

            “You’re so annoying, Lucifer!” Michael growled, stomping his foot for emphasis.

            The younger archangel laughed out loud at that. “Michael, you’re behaving like a woman on her period . . . _Are_ you on your period, Michael?”

            Michael was red-faced and fuming now. “I’m gonna kill you, Lucifer!”

            Lucifer snorted in response and waved his brother away tiredly. “Mikey, I can’t talk to you when you’re so emotional.”

            The next thing Lucifer knew, he was on the floor. Michael was hovering over him, pinning his little brother down by the neck. Lucifer chuckled despite Michael’s constricting grip. “Mikey . . . I love it when you take charge like that.”

            A first connected to Lucifer’s face. “ _Stop_ calling me Mikey! My name is Michael, _Luci_.”

            Lucifer laughed. “I don’t mind Luci,” he says. “Gabriel – my _favorite_ brother – gave it to me.”

            The first came again, harder this time. Lucifer winced, but still managed to make a smart remark. “Thank you, sir. May I have another?”

            Michael tightened his grip on his brother’s throat. “Stop being such a perverted bastard.”

            “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

            “Shut up.”

            “Gonna make me, big boy?”

            Michael shuddered in disgust. “Stop being creepy.”

            “But you’re making me excited, Mikey,” Lucifer said with a smirk. “You _know_ I’m a sadomasochist and love being man-handled.”

            That was simply too much for Michael. He let Lucifer go and stood up, shivering and making disturbed noises. As Lucifer got back to his feet, Michael grimaced. “You’re disgusting.”

            Lucifer just grinned broadly. “It got you to let me go, didn’t it? It’s not my fault you’re insecure about your sexuality.”

            Michael paled at that comment, which intrigued his younger brother greatly. Why did that joke scare Michael so much? Unless . . . “Mickey, do you swing both ways? Or are you just queer?”

            Michael’s eyes darted to Lucifer. Just for a moment, Lucifer swore he saw pure terror flash in them. The eldest archangel then shook his head quickly. “N-no,” he stuttered, clearing his throat. “What gave you that outlandish idea?”

            Lucifer shrugged then, deciding he’s messed with his brother enough for one day. “It’d be fine if you were. I mean, if you wanna fuck Balthazar, go ahead.”

            “No!” Michael shouted. “I _do not_ want to lay with Balthazar! He is my _brother_ for one, and two: he isn’t even a homosexual!”

            “Are you sure?” Lucifer asked with genuine curiosity. “Because I’m not so sure.”

            “It doesn’t _matter_ if Balthazar likes dick or not!” Michael hissed in frustration.

            “Exactly! It only matters if _you_ like dick!” Lucifer shot back with a smirk.

            Michael threw his hands up in the air, thoroughly _done_ with life in general. “Ugh! You’re so—”

            “Beautiful? Glorious? Heavenly? Hilarious? Charming? Sexy?” he rattled off, grinning.

            “Infuriating.”

            A groan sounded that came from neither of the brothers. At first, they locked eyes in confusion. Then they remembered. _Oh, right,_ Lucifer thought with an internal groan of his own. _The human_. To his great surprise, Michael immediately rushed to the human’s side.

            “Adam?! Are you alright?” the archangel inquired, on the verge of hysteria it sounded. Michael had a hand on Adam’s back and looked deeply concerned.

            Lucifer just arched a suspicious eyebrow.

            Adam, with Michael’s help, sat up. He let out another groan and put a hand to his forehead. “What happened?”

            “You passed out,” Michael explained, his eyes examining Adam’s body worriedly.

            Lucifer groaned aloud. “Would you stop treating him like an injured baby bunny? He’s an adolescent human being for our Father’s sake!”

            “Shut up, Lucifer!” Michael growled in response. The older angel kept his hand on Michael’s body as he glared. “Just leave us alone.”

            “US?!” Lucifer prompted. Had Michael finally made a fatal error?

            “I’m trying to soothe him,” Michael said quickly, remedying his mistake. “Unlike you.”

            “Wha—Oh,” Adam said suddenly. A look of understanding crossed his face. “I get it.”

            “Get what?” Lucifer queried, his interest peaked.

            Michael looked extremely alarmed. “Adam. Don’t.”

            “No, please do,” Lucifer encouraged.

            Adam shook his head, ignoring Lucifer completely. “You don’t’ want you brother to find out or think badly of you because you’re dating me,” he said, loud enough for all to hear.

            Lucifer’s jaw hit the floor. “WHAT?!”

            Adam looked straight at the devil and got an almost sinister grin on his face. “That’s right. I’m dating Michael. He might be too afraid to say it, or too ashamed, but I’m not. Michael is dating a human . . . Or at least he used to be.”


	25. Chapter 25

            Adam felt rather proud of himself as he watched Satan’s jaw drop. Michael was blushing and redder than a ripe tomato. A tense silence had descended upon the room after Adam’s big reveal. For nearly a solid minute, the human and two archangels stood, looking at each other in silence until Lucifer broke it.

            “WHAT THE FUCK, MICHAEL!? YOU TOO?! FIRST CASTIEL, THEN GABRIEL, NOW YOU?! AND WHY DID YOU HAVE TO PICK A FUCKING WINCHESTER?! THEY’RE MOODY, ANGSTY, AND HAVE SERIOUS DEPENDENCY ISSUES! I MEAN FOR THE LOVE OF OUR FATHER, WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?!”

            Adam stared as the devil proceeded to throw a hissy fit. Michael was still beside the human, his face unreadable. Adam knew that his archangel was probably livid with him, but Adam didn’t care. He felt too relieved to care; he felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders now that the secret was out.

            As Lucifer’s tirade came to an end, Michael stepped forward, his face a mask of determination. “Lucifer . . . Adam speaks the truth. We . . . have a . . . strong bond. He is – as the humans say – my boyfriend . . .” He looked at Adam briefly. “That is the term, right?”

            Adam looked at him. At that moment, he was full of mixed emotions. Michael was basically professing his feelings for him, but Adam couldn’t even feel happy about it. Michael had basically said that their relationship was wrong, and for that, he wouldn’t forgive him. What did he say? Sure they had something, but was Michael still his boyfriend? Or was it over? Should it be over? Adam couldn’t answer any of these questions.

            “That is the word . . .” is what Adam decided to go with.

            Michael seemed to sense Adam’s hesitation and the reasoning behind it. Michael looked at him with sad, guilty eyes. “However, you shouldn’t be upset, Lucifer . . . I may have lost him anyway.”

            Lucifer looked confused by that. He seemed to forget that Adam was a human that Michael was wrong for dating him. He let out a growl with narrowed eyes at Adam. “You hurt my brother?”

            Adam felt an icy fear spread through him. Up until now, Adam had felt brave, but now he felt fear; he was in the same room as Lucifer after all. Despite the uneasiness he felt, Adam gulped and stood up straighter. “He hurt me first – he’s ashamed for people to know about us.”

            Michael sighed but didn’t deny it. Adam looked at the archangel and saw the pain and remorse in his eyes. _Say something,_ Adam pleaded internally. _Say something – don’t just stand there!_ Adam would have preferred it if Michael shouted or cried or even defended himself. The silence unnerved him.

            “Adam . . . angels do not . . . Angel and human relationships are scorned – look at how Lucifer reacted. I’m the leader of Heaven, I need the other angels to respect me. And . . . by order of my Father, angel and human relationships have always been declared forbidden—”

            “Then why did you even bother with me?!” Adam shouted, taking a confrontational step toward him.

            Michael’s face hardened slightly. “If you would have let me finish, you would have known that I don’t believe that’s what my Father wanted for us. I think it was another one of his tests – one that it took entirely too long to find the answer to. In fact, I couldn’t even do it on my own – my Father sent me you to teach me that sometimes you find things that are worth breaking the rules for. I’ve decided that I don’t care what the other angels think about me; I care too much about you to lose you like this.”

            Adam’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe his eyes, nor could he contain the feeling of joy that bubbled in his chest. Michael _did_ care. He was willing to lose his reputation to be with Adam. The human felt light-headed.

            “Michael—” Lucifer began in a condescending tone, but Michael cut him off.

            “Don’t start,” Michael practically growled at his younger brother. “You aren’t going to change my m—”

            Michael was cut off by an ear-splitting explosion. Angels and humans froze for several seconds. The silence was once again broken by Lucifer who sprinted toward the door. Adam found himself shoved behind a growling, protective Michael. Lucifer paused at that door of the clinic and glanced back at Michael. Both angels nodded at each other and Lucifer opened the door.

            Slowly, Michael and Adam approached the doorway. Adam could hear the faint shouts coming from the hall. As they reached the threshold, he peered out into the corridor. Two figures stood at the other end, arguing fiercely. Behind them was a giant, gaping hole in the side of the school. The chilly autumn air was wafting inside, making Adam shiver. One of the figures, a woman, was standing with her arms crossed and her weight shifted to one side. The other figure, a man, was waving his arms wildly and shouting in a thick, Scottish accent. “WHAT THE HELL, LILITH?!”

            The female, Lilith, suddenly grabbed the male by the throat. Adam recognized the man then as Crowley, the king of hell and leader of all the demons at Supernatural High. Lilith brought Crowley’s face close to hers. “I don’t have to explain shit to you, usurper.” With that, she tossed Crowley through the gaping hole as if he were a twig and let out a high-pitched peeling laugh.

            Adam heard Lucifer groan. “Oh, fuck me.”

            Michael chuckled, to Adam’s surprise, and gently shoved Lucifer. “Hey, look little brother, it’s your ex! I bet she’d love to see you again.”

            “Shut your fucking mouth, Michael! She’ll hear you!” Lucifer sounded genuinely terrified at the thought of meeting her again. “Don’t let her realize we’re here! She said if she ever saw me again, she’d chop my balls off and feed them to me . . . And I believe her! I made her into the monster she is, I know she’s damn well capable!”

            “SAM!”

            All three froze again. Adam knew that voice – it was Gabriel, Sam’s boyfriend and Michael and Lucifer’s younger brother. _Sam . . . Sam is_ my _brother,_ Adam remembered with a start.

            Gabriel appeared at the very end of the hall by the giant hole. Adam only knew it was him due to the giant, golden wings protruding from his back. The younger archangel seemed to be leaning over something . . . or someone.

            “SAM!” the same name but a different voice; this time it was Dean. Adam saw Dean and what must have been Cas come running toward the giant hole from outside. Now, Michael had gripped Adam by the shirt and was pulling forward toward the chaos. Adam saw Lucifer walking beside them too, clearly more concerned about what had happened as opposed to running into Lilith.

            As they reached the hole, Adam saw Gabriel, his massive wings still extended, kneeling on the ground, cradling a limp form in his arms. Upon closer inspection, Adam realized who it was: Sam Winchester.


	26. Chapter 26

            Cas felt fear grip him with ice-cold, boney fingers. He kept good pace with Dean as he sprinted toward the giant hole in the school. What had happened? Was anyone hurt? Cas prayed silently to his Father that nothing truly bad had happened, but he knew that it was unlikely. There _was_ a giant hole in the side of the school, after all.

            The closer they god, Cas realized that there were people among the rubble – three to be exact. Cas recognized Crowley lying near the actual hole while two others were farther out in the devastation. An impressive pair of golden wings sprouted from the pack of one; Cas immediately placed him as Gabriel. In his arms, he held a limp, seemingly broken body.

            “SAM!” the agonized, terrified, and heart-broken scream tore from Dean’s chest.er The pain his human’s cry made Cas’s heart ache.

            They skidded to a halt as they reached the archangel and human. Out of the corner of his eye, Cas saw Michael, Adam, and Lucifer approach as well. Dean was already kneeling beside Gabriel, looking over his little brother’s body.

            “I tried to protect him!” Gabriel told Dean. Tears flowed shamelessly down the archangel’s face. “When we were thrown through the wall, I tried to . . .”

            Dean pressed two fingers to Sam’s neck and held them there for a few moments. With a sigh of relief, Dean withdrew them. “He’s alive . . . He’s alive. He might be hurt, but he has a pulse.”

            Gabriel nodded and leaned down. Cas watched, his heart clenching as Gabriel planted a soft, tender kiss on Sam’s forehead. After the kiss, Sam’s color brightened and his eyes fluttered open. He let out a small groan and looked at all the concerned faces crowded around him. “Wha—? What happened?”

            Instead of explaining, Gabriel threw his arms around his human and let out a sob of relief. “Thank my Father! Oh, Sam, I was so worried!”

            “What happened?” Dean demanded in a brusque tone. To Cas’s surprise and embarrassment, he found that he liked Dean’s demanding, almost harsh voice . . . He liked it a little too much.

            Gabriel let go of Sam, or at least pulled back enough for the human to breathe and for the archangel to speak coherently. Cas, Dean, Michael, Lucifer, and Adam all crowded around Gabriel and Sam to hear what happened. Before his older brother spoke, Cas let his gaze wander around the wreckage. It was then he noticed the blond woman standing just inside the school. However, Cas knew that she was no ordinary woman; she was a demon. This peaked Cas’s interest greatly.

            “Sam and I were in the hallway when we hear Lilith arguing with—”

            “LILITH?!” Dean interrupted, clearly livid.

            “Shut up, you little insect,” Lucifer growled, clearly in a bad mood. “I want to listen.”

            Cas felt compelled to defend Dean. “Leave him alone, Lucifer.”

            “Oh, _shut up_ , Cas,” Lucifer sneered in response.

            A sigh came from Dean’s direction. “Cas, stay out of this.”

            “Don’t tell my baby brother what to do!” Lucifer snapped.

            “WOULD YOU STOP?!” Michael shouted above all their voices, drowning out the argument. “I WANT TO HEAR!”

            Gabriel waited until it was quiet before resuming his tale. “Lilith was arguing with Crowley because they used to date and I guess Lilith disappeared so Crowley stepped up and became King and there was a nasty breakup somewhere in there. Basically, Lilith wants to be queen again and she saw me and Sam listening and she threw us through a wall.”

            Cas watched Dean’s reaction warily; he knew Dean was just a ticking time bomb that was moments away from exploding. First, Lilith attacked his father, and now she went after Sam. Cas’s muscles tensed as he prepared to hold Dean back from running off to slay the blond, demon-lady watching from the hall.

            Just then, the demon spoke. “Luci?”

            Cas saw Lucifer’s face harden. He closed his eyes and let out a low sigh through his nose. “Son of a bitch.”

            The demon exited the school and approached the small group. “Luci, it _is_ you!”

            Lucifer groaned aloud. “Oh, why aren’t you burning in the fiery pits of hell where you belong?”

            She looked greatly offended at that comment. “But Luci—”

            “ _Stoooop_ ,” Lucifer groaned. “For the love of my Father, _shut up._ ”

            The demon glowered at him fiercely, her eyes turning a terrifying white color. “After all we’ve been through, Luci?” she prompted. “I mean, I gave up everything for you. I became damned for you, you selfish, pretentious DICK BAG!” she roared the final part. The lights inside the school suddenly blew out, and the wind picked up significantly.

            Cas stepped protectively in front of Dean. His hair was billowing in the wind, as was everyone else’s. He saw Gabriel stand and hide Sam behind him. His older brother’s golden wings extended further and his warm brown eyes began to glow an icy blue. Michael was also now standing in front of Adam, which Cas found extremely odd. Michael and Lucifer had both extended their wings too, Michael’s ghostly, immaculate white wings contrasting Lucifer’s dark and tattered red wings. Cas decided to do the same as his brothers, his obsidian wing materializing behind his back. He heard Dean let out a surprised an awestruck “holy shit.” Cas’s eyes and body began to glow. His angel blade also appeared in his hand and he let out a low, protective growl. No harm was going to come to Dean.

            Lilith looked around at the four angels and hissed. “This isn’t over, Lucifer! First I’m taking over Hell, and then me and your other children are going to take over Heaven like you always planned to!”

            Michael let out a furious roar. “You’ll never get into Heaven, Lilith! You lost your chance of ever getting in there when you allowed Lucifer to corrupt you and make you the first demon!”

            Lilith looked offended, her eyes still white like eggs. “Lucifer is allowed back, but I’m not?! Call me crazy, _wings_ , but I think it’s a little funny that you’re all buddy-buddy with FUCKING SATAN, AND YET YOU CONDEMN HIS VICTIM. LUCI JUST SHOWS UP ONE DAT, AND YOU’RE ALL LIKE ‘SURE COME ON IN! HOW’S HELL?! GOSH I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN AGES!’”

            “Lucifer has repented and has been forgiven by God,” Gabriel informed. “ _You_ have not been, Lilith. You have never once shown remorse for what you have done, simply shoved responsibility off onto someone else.”

            “That’s because it isn’t my fault!” she insisted. “I had no idea what I was getting into! Lucifer _was_ an angel! How was I supposed to know that he would turn me into a demon?”

            “You know,” Dean piped up. “She kinda has a point.”

            Lucifer growled and glared angrily at Dean. “Shut up, _human_.”

            At the same time, Lilith said: “ _Thank you._ ”

            “Leave Dean alone, Lucifer!” Cas snapped. “I’m tired of you bullying my boyfriend!”

            Dean groaned. “ _Cas_ , stop.”

            Lucifer glowered, but said no more. He returned his attention to Lilith. He raised a glowing hand, but Lilith saw what he was doing. He was going to kill her unless she did something _now_. And she did. Her vessel’s mouth opened, and the demon left her host in a cloud of black smoke. She soared upward and disappeared into the night sky.

            Lucifer cursed and Michael caught the poor, lifeless woman the demon had been inhabiting. Michael inspected her for a moment, then side. He stood back up with a disgusted and mournful look on his face. “She’s dead.”

            Cas sighed sadly and turned to Dean. His human looked absolutely livid. “First that bitch hurt my father, now my brother! I’m gonna kill her, Cas,” he snarled, clearly enraged.

            “You won’t be alone either,” Gabriel promised. “I will make her _pay_ for hurting Sam.”

            “And, obviously, I’ll be with you,” Cas said softly. “You can always count on me, you know that.”

            Dean smiled faintly at him. “I know . . . Thanks, Cas.”

            “I suppose I’ll assist you as well,” Michael murmured, almost grudgingly. “I must protect . . . Heaven.”  Cas saw That Michael had his hand resting on Adam’s back, and the human was practically beaming.

            Lucifer let out a labored sigh. “I _guess_ I’ll lend a hand too . . . I mean, if I don’t, she may come after me and try to chop my balls off.”

            “Count me in as well,” a new, Scottish voice said. The entire group turned to see Crowley approaching, brushing dust off his black suit. He looked around at the angels and humans. He sniffed once, noticing the unsure glances around him. “Oh, come on. Don’t turn down help, you idiots. Whether you accept my help or not, I’m going after Lilith before she takes over my kingdom.”

            Cas exchanged a glance with Dean. He wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with working with Crowley, especially since the King of Hell had a vendetta against him since the beginning of the year. Dean looked equally concerned, but shrugged. He gently took Cas’s hand in a silent vow that Dean would be there and protect him if necessary. Cas nodded subtly and squeezed his human’s hand.

            “Okay, Crowley,” Dean allowed. “But no funny business – that goes for all of you. We’re going to do this together or not at all, got it?”

            Michael said nothing but looked displeased. Lucifer looked enraged but, to Castiel’s surprise, didn’t say a word. He looked around at his new comrades; they were mostly family, some new friends and some new family, and even a former enemy.

            “We’ll end Lilith and then all go back to hating each other, right?” Crowley asked.

            Lucifer, Dean, and Michael all responded immediately and simultaneously.

            “Definitely.”

            “Absolutely.”

            “Oh hell yeah.”

            Cas rolled his eyes; he guessed some things would never change.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a story.
> 
> When writing this story, I had up to Chapter 33 written in my Chemistry note book because I never pay attention in Chemistry because that class was the easiest class I've ever had. And at the end of last school year, I lost that Chemistry note book with all my progress in it.
> 
> I looked and looked, couldn't find it, and lost the will to write Supernatural High.
> 
> BUT NO LONGER.
> 
> I haven't found my note book but with Supernatural Season 11, the prospect of seeing our archangels again, and my real life friends who have been pestering me for more, I have found the will to write once more!

* * *

 

 

“And Sam is okay, right? Do my mom and I need to come over there with a casserole or something?” Jo inquired from the other end of the phone. Dean was lying on his bed, his cell phone pressed to his ear. He’d spent almost the last fifteen minutes telling his friend all about Homecoming night and everything that had transpired. It was Saturday, only a day after the travesty that had the entire school scared shitless. Everyone that had attended the dance was severely shaken, the parents were deeply concerned and now Dean had a potential war on his hands. And, even though he’d never tell Cas and especially not Sam, Dean was kind of worried. Sure, there was only one of Lilith, but if she gained allies and followers, it could pose a problem. Jo was the only one he could express his concerns to; she didn’t bullshit him, nor did she baby him and try to console him. She listened, spoke her mind, and didn’t criticize Dean in the slightest. That was why Dean valued Jo so dearly and looked at her as one of his closest friends, even if their romance failed.

“Yeah, yeah, Sam is fine . . . Although it’d be amusing to see your mother holding a casserole at our front porch,” Dean replied with a small chuckle.

He could almost hear Jo roll her eyes through the phone. “My mom would punch you if she was in the vicinity.”

“I don’t doubt she would. Does she know about what happened at school or not?”

“No, this is the first I’m hearing about it so I doubt she’s heard,” Jo answered. There was a slight rustling as Jo moved around her bedroom, most likely doing chores. Usually when Dean and Jo talked on the phone, Jo busied herself and cleaned her room or something of the like. Dean, meanwhile, just lounged on his bed and admired the healthy disarray of his room.

“Are you seriously cleaning right now?” he asked in amusement.

She huffed. “I am picking up my room so I don’t get my ass kicked.”

“You know it’s rude to not give your guest all the attention.”

“You aren’t my guest, asshat. You’re in your own room, I’m in mine. By the way, what house are you and your family squatting in now?” she asked, her voice saturated with sass.

Dean laughed though. Jo and her mother, Ellen, seldom moved around. They stayed in one place as much as they could while John constantly moved his family around and squatted in abandoned houses or houses that were up for sale. Currently, they were staying in an old house not too far from Supernatural High—probably ten, fifteen minutes away. It was on the outskirts of some suburbs and had been vacant for a while. Some furniture was left behind, including two beds which were put in Dean and Sam’s rooms. John slept downstairs on an old couch. Even though it was unlikely they’d be staying in that house very long, Dean had made his room as much as a home as he could. His guns were neatly and precisely displayed around the room. Some hung from the walls, others were situated on shelves. He had a small box of family photos of his mom and Sam on his nightstand next to his collection of baseball cards. Under his bed was a secret stash of the magazine _Busty Asian Beauties_ that he covetously hid from his father and brother.

“I don’t know the name of the neighborhood, but it’s not far from the school,” Dean told her.

“Mm,” she replied. There was more rustling, and then it suddenly stopped. “So . . . apart from Sam nearly dying, was Homecoming . . . fun?”

Dean smiled ever-so-slightly. It would be sacrilege to say that he had fun at the Homecoming where his little brother nearly died. However, before he nearly had a heart attack over Sam, he did have fun with Cas. He never thought he’d ever dance with a boy in front of his entire high school, but he had. He never thought he’d make out with a boy in the back of Baby, but he had. He never thought that any boy – especially not an angel – would ever bring him happiness . . . But with Cas around, Dean felt . . . Well, he felt like, despite the can of worms they’d opened with Lilith, everything was going to be okay. As long as Cas and Sam were okay and by his side, Dean felt like he could tackle the world.

“Yeah, for the most part . . . and not including the whole Sammy-in-danger thing,” Dean told her after a few moments. “I wish you’d have been there.”

Jo snorted. “Yeah, well . . . Mom wasn’t gonna let me go unless I had a date. We’re tight on money and she didn’t wanna go out and buy a dress.”

“I thought you did have a date,” Dean said, now confused. Almost every time they’d talked on the phone, Jo brought up her new boyfriend: Benny Lafitte. Dean had yet to meet him, but had heard a great deal about him. He was a vampire which, at first, Dean didn’t approve of. After meeting Cas, though, he realized that you can’t really control who you fall in love with, and decided to approve of it. Benny seemed like a nice guy too – didn’t drink human blood and was a regular Southern gentleman to Jo.

Jo laughed but it was a hollow one. “Yeah, you really think my mom would have let me go to the dance with Benny?”

“Yeah, I guess not,” Dean murmured. “Maybe she’ll just need to get to know him, you know? Introduce him to her and she’ll—”

“She’ll take a machete to his head, that’s what she’ll do,” Jo cut him off. “She’ll never meet him Dean, not as long as I have anything to do with it.”

Dean sighed. He knew why Jo had to resort to such secrecy, but he also knew that thinking Ellen would never find out about her vampire boyfriend was foolish. Ellen was one hell of a hunter, and Dean knew it was only a matter of time before she sniffed them out. “You know she’s gonna find out, right?”

Jo didn’t reply.

“Ellen is smarter than you give her credit for. Hell, she probably already knows.”

“She doesn’t,” Jo said. It was unclear whether she was trying to convince Dean of that or herself. “I’m sure of it. If she knew, she’d confront me . . . that or fix the problem at its source and I know Benny is perfectly fine. I just got off the phone with him before I called you.”

“Aw, your ex is the last call of the night. Is Benny jealous? Do I need to make sure he doesn’t come to drink my blood in the middle of the night?” Dean joked.

“Pssh, you’re hardly my ex – it was a mutual breakup. We both knew it’d never work . . . you’re gay now, anyway so it all worked out,” Jo shot back affectionately. “By the way, how was coming out of the closet?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “I didn’t come out, Jo. I still like girls.”

“But you like Cas more. So you’re bisexual then?”

“Cas is a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent. He isn’t male or female, he simply is. Therefore, I am not gay, nor am I bisexual,” Dean stated with a sense of pride that he had actually taken the time to work all that out. And it was worth it: it shut Jo up for a solid minute.

“Dean. You are such a nerd. I never thought I’d ever say that to you – Sam, maybe, but you? Oh my god, you must really be afraid to admit you like dicks,” Jo laughed on the other end of the line.

He felt defensive then. “I do not like dicks!”

“Have you wanted to bang him?”

“Who?”

“Castiel you idiot! Have you wanted to have gay butt sex with Cas?”

Dean didn’t answer. Yeah, he had. And yeah, he found Cas attractive. Deep down, Dean knew damn well that he was as straight as a slinky . . . That didn’t mean he was going to come out and admit it to everyone though.

“Okay, so you have wanted to have gay butt sex with Cas,” Jo said almost triumphantly. “Therefore, you are attracted to males and dicks.”

“And you like sparkly vampires, are we done here?”

“ _Benny does not sparkle, you angel-loving dickwad!” Jo shouted into the phone. Dean actually flinched it was so loud and had to hold the phone away from his head until his friend was done raging._

“Okay, okay, sorry,” Dean remedied when Jo had quit throwing her fit. “I didn’t realize glitter was a trigger.”

“I’m going to tell Benny you said that about him, and he _will_ drink your blood as you sleep!” Jo hissed. Dean could tell just by the tone of her voice that she was livid.

“Not if Cas is here to protect me,” Dean joked in response.

“Well you better call your guardian angel because my vampire boyfriend is gonna kick your boyfriend’s ass!”

“I’d like to see him try. Well, I better go pray to Cas and tell him to get his ass down here to protect me from vampires,” Dean jested. He smiled at the thought of Cas in his room with him… in his bed with him. “Actually, I think I _will_ do that.”

“Ew! Okay, okay, you go do that. You hang up with me first and then pray to your boyfriend. I don’t wanna be on the line and hear your gayness. It radiates off you in waves when he’s around.”

Dean smirked, loving Jo’s discomfort. “I, Dean Winchester, pray to the angel Castiel so that he may get his feathery ass down here to protect me from a sparkly vampire.”

“Ugh!” was all that came from Jo’s end before the line went dead. Dean threw his head back in laughter. Of course, Jo wasn’t truly upset with him. She knew that he was teasing the same way he knew she didn’t mean most of her jokes. It was a part of that comfortable, easy relationship they had and that Dean cherished so dearly. He closed his flip phone and, just as he was about to roll over to get more comfortable, he heard the tell-tale flutter of wings that announced his boyfriend’s entry.

“Dean, I heard you prayer. Are you alright? What was that about a glittering vampire?”

He smiled at the concern in Cas’s deep voice. He rolled onto his back to see a confused Cas standing in the middle of his bedroom. His sky-blue eyes were anxiously scanning the room and out the windows, looking for the threat that Dean had jokingly mentioned. “There is no vampire, Cas,” Dean explained. “I was on the phone with Jo and just said that to piss her off.”

“Oh,” was all Cas said in response. “Was there anything else you needed?”

“Yeah, Huggy-Bear, I wanted to see you,” Dean responded. He opened his arms and even made grabby hands for Cas. Dean swore he saw the angel’s cheeks flush a little as he came and laid down beside his human lover. Dean rolled onto his side and wrapped both of his arms around Cas. He breathed in the angel’s scent and let out a small sigh of contentment. There was something about Cas’s scent – something so familiar and comforting. Dean kissed his head and held him a little tighter.

“Dean, are you afraid?” Cas inquired after a few moments of silence.

Freezing with shock and confusion, Dean drew back a little to look at Cas’s face. “No, why would I be?”

“It’s okay if you are,” the angel tried to reassure. “I mean… it would make sense if you were. With… with Lilith coming after your father and after Sam. She… she’s a very powerful demon and can do a lot of damage to humans especially. It’s okay to be scared, Dean. You don’t have to tell me if you are, but I want you to know that you don’t have to be. I might be a young angel… hell, I might be a terrible angel – the worst angel in the world – but I will do everything in my power to protect you. You’re my human, after all.”

“Cas…” Dean didn’t know what else to say; he was touched by his lover’s determined vow. “I… Thank you. It… It really means a lot to hear you say that. I’ve always been the protector – I looked after Sammy when my father was off God-knows-where. My father… he protected me but acted like it was a burden. He always acted like he shouldn’t have to do it – that I should be able to take care of myself… So thank you, Cas.”

Cas blushed again and gave a shy smile. “Don’t mention it.” He leaned up and gently pressed his lips to Dean’s.


	28. Chapter 28

 

            “Where does it hurt, Sam?”

            Gabriel was standing next to Sam’s bed wearing green scrubs and a doctor’s coat. The archangel had insisted that he looked Sam over, which Sam was fine with. However, this was probably the fifth time the archangel had assessed him for injuries. Gabriel must have really liked hospitals, or had a hospital kink, for he had practically transformed Sam’s bedroom into a little hospital room. Sam was even wearing a hospital gown. When he asked why he had to wear this, Gabriel just said he wanted to look at Sam’s ass when the human wasn’t looking.

            “It doesn’t hurt anywhere, Gabe,” Sam answered with a groan. “I’m fine, really. You already healed any ache and pain I had. There is nothing else wrong with me. I’m starting to think you just want to roleplay or something.”

            The archangel through his head back in laughter. “Stop it, Samsquatch. I’m starting to get ideas,” he says with a waggle of eyebrows.

            Sam just sighed. He _did_ appreciate Gabriel’s concern, but it was beginning to get old. Sam was tired. He wanted to just lie down and sleep and Gabriel was making it exceedingly difficult to do so. He could heard Dean on the phone with Jo in the room beside and just sighed. Dean and Jo seemed to be having a peaceful conversation. Sam wished he and Gabriel could do the same but the archangel seemed to almost be trying too hard to get and keep Sam’s attention.

            “Sam, are you okay?” Gabriel asked again. “You look… angsty.”

            He sighed. “Gabe . . . this is really great and all . . . I appreciate your concern, but I’m really not in the mood to watch and listen to you make a scene. I’m tired and you’re acting weird – certainly nothing like yourself. So either tell me what is going on with you or leave.”

            Gabriel stared at him with confused and hurt whiskey-colored eyes. A strand of his chestnut hair was out of place and dangling in the middle of his forehead. He looked at Sam for a long while and then averted his eyes to the floor. With a labored sigh, he met his lover’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Sam,” he said. His voice was so soft, so gentle, and so unlike the archangel Sam knew and loved. “I’m so, _so_ sorry.”

            Sam’s eyebrows knitted together. “Sorry?” he repeated. “What are you sorry about?”

            The archangel had tears in his eyes now. “It . . . I . . . If I hadn’t over-reacted and ran of . . . We never would have been in that hallway. We never would have seen Lilith and Crowley. You never would have been thrown through that wall. I put you in danger, Sam . . . and it’s my job to protect you and keep you safe from everything . . . And I failed . . . And I failed because I was too self-absorbed and jealous to . . . to listen . . . and you got hurt . . .” Gabriel trailed off, unable to continue. The tears that had been pooling in his eyes were now falling. They streamed down his faith leaving tiny water trails.

            Sam got off the bed and went to the angel that was standing about two feet away. Gabriel was hugging himself and beginning to quietly sob. Sam wrapped his arms around the smaller man. He was little less than a foot taller than his boyfriend and was able to almost encompass him. Sam cradled his angel close to his heart and kissed his head.

            “It’s okay, Gabriel,” he tried to reassure. “Please, believe me, Gabe. It’s okay. How could you possibly have known that would happen? If I saw you dancing with some good-looking woman and watch as she did to you what Ruby did to me, I would be upset too. It’s my fault, Gabriel. I should have stopped her when I had the chance and for whatever reason I didn’t. I . . . It’s _my_ fault, not yours. I got what I deserved when I was thrown through the wall. Hell, I deserved worse than that – I hurt the best thing that’s ever happened to me and for that, I will never forgive myself.”

            Gabriel wrapped his much smaller arms around the human. He clung to him the way a frightened child holds onto their mother during a thunderstorm. The archangel, a powerful and fearsome creature, was whimpering as he gave Sam a squeeze. It was as though he was frightened that if he let go, Sam would disappear. The human did his best to console him. “It is not your fault, Gabriel. I love you, and it isn’t your fault. Everything that happened was because of me, okay? Please don’t blame yourself. I want my Gabriel back – the happy-go-lucky, hilarious, sexy angel – not a hollow shell of him.”

            There was a sniffle as the archangel turned his head to look up. “I just . . . Can we agree for my peace of mind that it was both our faults?” he asked, his voice regaining some of its strength.

            Sam felt his lips twitch in the beginnings of a smile. He nodded. “Sure. It’s both of our faults. Can we just forget about it and move on now?”

            Gabriel nodded slowly. “I guess so . . . Can you distract me so I don’t think about it anymore?” he requested, peering up at Sam with big puppy-dog eyes.

            With a small chuckle, Sam nodded. “Of course I can, come here, trickster.” He pulled Gabriel over to the bed and fell back onto the pillows with a thud. Gabriel climbed on top of him then, straddling the large moose of a boy. Their lips met and both of them knew that everything was okay and all was forgiven.


	29. Chapter 29

            Lucifer was in study hall, his head on his desk and eyelids slowly drooping. Monday had come at last and the entire school was buzzing with rumors. Everyone was talking about what had happened at Homecoming. Those that had been present – Sam, Dean, Castiel, Gabriel, Michael, Adam, and even Lucifer – were hounded with questions all day. Lucifer understood their curiosity but wanted them to go ask people that actually wanted to talk, like the humans. The audacity of some creatures astonished him; they would actually approach _him_ , the lord and ruler of darkness to gossip. He sent them all packing with snake-like hiss, occasionally brandishing a forked tongue for good measure. There was no way he was about to lower himself to their level, or even let them think it was possible.

            The only one he had talked to about the situation was Meg. He told her all that had happened in detail because he thought he could trust her. He talked about how Lilith was beyond pissed and both him and Crowley. He also mentioned that Lilith was planning to take over Hell and then Heaven. “Well, good,” Meg had said, to Lucifer’s astonishment. “Crowley is a weak leader, and you haven’t been around in hell that much. We need someone stronger than Crowley. A regime change actually sounds lovely.”

            Lucifer gave her a hard look. “Did you miss the part when I said she was going to take over Heaven?”

            Meg shrugged. “You always talked about that before Michael let you back into the circle. You wanted revenge on the angels, and they deserve it for kicking you out. Why don’t you just help Lilith instead of trying to kill her?”

            “Because she’ll have my testicles if I do!” Lucifer hissed in exasperation. “She _hates_ me, Meg! Whose side are you even on here? Mine or hers?”

            “I’m on hell’s side, Lucifer,” she spat back. “I swear, you’re just as incompetent as Crowley!”

            Lucifer stared at her, betrayal written all over his face. “You _dare_ compare me to that . . . that insolent fop?!” he snarled in outrage.

            “What have you done for hell lately, Lucifer? Nothing! All you’ve been concerned with is Heaven, Michael, and the fucking Winchesters!” Meg shouted. People were looking at them now as their voices raised in volume.

            He looked briefly at the crowd that was gathering. One glare scattered them and he turned back to Meg. He leaned toward her, pressing her back against the locker with his hands on either side of her head. He leered at her with a sinister look. “At least I’m trying to be good. You’re the same old bloodthirsty, murderous demon you’ve always been.”

            “I’ve done it for you!” she pointed out, looking up at him with an almost petulant look. “I have always been one of your number one supports. My father, Azazel, and I worked tirelessly to break you out of the cage. I stood by you all the time no matter what because I thought you were what hell needed. I thought that you were as wonderful, as great, and everything my father said you were. But you’re not. You aren’t a lord of darkness or the king of evil. You’re just a fallen angel – a fallen angel who wants more than anything to get back on daddy’s good side. You don’t care about hell, or demons, or even me. All you care about are your own kind – angels and Heaven and _God._ ” She spat the last word with venom in her voice. “You’re weak, Lucifer. You always have been. I hope Lilith takes over hell and I hope she takes over Heaven next. And I hope she finds a way to kill you.”

            “You’re one fickle bitch, you know that?” Lucifer growled. “You don’t care about anyone, do you Meg? You only act like you care about people who will be beneficial to you. You thought I was going to help hell and give you some kind of . . . powerful position like my second-in-command or something. I didn’t and now you’re turning around to be besties with Lilith? You have no sense of loyalty.”

            She just shrugged. There was a defiant, almost satisfied looked in her eyes. “You made my species, Lucifer. You twisted, corrupted, and tainted us with _your_ darkness. What did you expect out of me? Out of any demon?”

            Lucifer had to admit that she had a point. A while ago, he would have agreed with her whole-heartedly about taking over Heaven; he had planned to do so in the past, even. But things had changed. He had changed. And he was beginning to realize that his relationship with Meg was hardly a relationship at all. They were more of two somewhat close friends that had sex sometimes, not a real couple.

            “You know what,” he said with a sigh. “You’re right. I don’t know what I expected out of you, Meg. But I do know that this isn’t going to work anymore. I can’t be with someone like you – someone I don’t even love. So goodbye, Meg. Good luck with Lilith. I just hope that I’m not the one who will have to kill you when your endeavor fails.”

            To his surprise, Meg was speechless. That had to be a first. Lucifer did not bother to fill in silence and he did not wait for her to respond. He walked off toward Psychology. Now, just three periods later, Lucifer was in study hall thinking about the whole ordeal.

            A part of him did feel bad. He had been with Meg for a while and the idea of not being able to talk to her or spend time with her did hurt him in a way. However, he also knew that cutting ties with her was necessary. If he wanted to truly be an angel again and reform his relationship with Michael, getting rid of Meg was important. It was even more crucial now that Lucifer knew how she really was and was able to recognize it.

            “Excuse me.”

            Lucifer jumped. He hadn’t heard the study hall teacher approach him. She was a new teacher, young, pretty, but not his type. Her eyes were a piercing blue and her lips far too pink to be natural. He looked up at her, quietly berating himself for not being more alert. If people began to think that they could sneak up on the Devil, he was in big trouble. “Uh . . . yes . . . ?” he asked, expectantly.

            The study hall teacher gave an awkward laugh. “Oh, right . . . Um . . . Lucifer, could you do me a favor?”

            He internally groaned. “Depends on what it is, and I always have a price, usually your soul. However, I will give you a twenty year lease on it once you make the deal, unlike the other demons who only give ten. So ultimately, making a deal with the Devil is better than a deal with a demon.”

            The teacher flushed. “No, I didn’t mean it like that! Someone made a mistake and sent someone’s papers here . . . A Michaela Lafitte? Do you know her?”

            Lucifer just sighed. He had heard of a Benny Lafitte – a vampire in his own grade – but never a Michaela, most likely a sibling. “No, but I can probably find her.”

            “She was supposed to be in this class but switched out at the beginning of the year . . . I think she’s in the Art room with Miss Bradbury,” the study hall teacher told him. “Would you mind running this down to her?” She practically thrust the packet of papers onto Lucifer’s desk, then walked away swiftly.

            He let out a disgruntled sigh but got up nonetheless. _Since when did Satan become an errand boy?_ he thought with irritation. He knew who Miss Bradbury was – a quirky art teacher that he luckily never had a class with. She was too happy all the time, spontaneous, and just not his kind of person. Lucifer just wanted to get there, deliver the pack of papers and get out before anyone spoke to him.

            The halls were eerily quiet as he strode down toward the art room. He could hear some of the teachers lecturing but there was otherwise no noise. He approached the art room with a labored sigh. He knocked once before entering. Charlie Bradbury, the art teacher, looked at him with a friendly smile. She sat at her desk and had various splotches of paint on her hands, face, and shirt. Her bright red hair stuck out like a sore thumb; Lucifer thought it had to be the reddest hair he ever saw. “Hi, what can I do for you?” she asked with a perky grin.

            He cleared his throat and shifted away from her. Her happiness was making him sick. “I’m here for Michaela Lafitte.”

            Miss Bradbury smiled again and pointed to a secluded table in the back corner. Lucifer nodded and headed in that direction. There was only one person at the table, a girl with long, curly light brown hair. Lucifer couldn’t see her face for she was looking down at the paper she was drawing on. Her pencil moved in slow, languid strokes across the paper. As he neared, Lucifer saw that she was drawing a ship of some sorts. A large, black sail was drawn slightly curled to give the illusion of it flapping in the wind. The ocean was drawn with jagged triangles and colored in with gray and white pastels. The ship itself was very detailed but not yet colored in. A large white skull was drawn on the sail. “Nice drawing,” he commented, genuinely impressed. Lucifer might have been the Devil, but he did appreciate art in some sense. He did not like making it, though.

            The girl looked up at him with big brown eyes. “Thanks,” she mumbled softly before going back to coloring in the jagged waves.

            “Oh, um I have some papers I was asked to give you,” he said and placed them next to her things.

            She nodded and continued to draw.

            Lucifer watched her for a few moments. There was a gracefulness to her work – to her. It captivated him and he could not figure out why. He sat down across from her at the table. She made no move to acknowledge him, which even further peaked his interest. He studied her face as she shaded. Her eyes were hard, concentrated, and her lips puckered slightly. Her curly hair hung around her face and danced on the parchment, bouncing in rhythm with her hand as she continued to add detail to her ocean.

            Suddenly, she looked up at him with curious eyes. “Why are you still here?”

            Caught off guard and feeling like he was just caught red-handed, Lucifer gulped. “I just . . . I like watching you draw. Is that bad?”

            Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m Michaela Lafitte, but I guess you already knew that since you delivered that stuff to me. Who are you?”

            Lucifer was honestly surprised that she didn’t know. “I’m Lucifer, lord of darkness, lord of evil, fallen angel, Diablo, Morningstar, Light Bringer, Beelzebub, Prince of Darkness, Satan – need I go on?”

            Michaela Lafitte surveyed him with careful eyes. “Oh, well hi, Satan.” She said it casually and then went right back to drawing.

            “Hi Michaela . . . You know, I have a brother named Michael,” Lucifer pointed out. Small talk was no his strong suit but he didn’t want to leave just yet. There was something that was keeping him at that table, like it was impossible for him to tear himself away from her.

            “Yeah, I guess you would – Michael, the Archangel, right?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Yeah, I was meant to be a boy. They were gonna name me Michael. When I came out with lady parts, they changed it to Michaela. That was a while ago, though . . . about fifty years or so,” she said casually.

            Lucifer observed her pale skin. “Are you and Benny related by blood?” he inquired.

            Michaela shook her head. “No. I was turned by him though. I was a slave of a gang Benny was running with at the time. They kept me human and alive for a long time – fed off me. They drained me almost to death but Benny saved me. He didn’t want me to die – thought I didn’t deserve it. He turned me into a vampire because that was all he could do to keep me alive. We then took down the rest of his gang together,” she explained. Her brown eyes then met his. “Does that answer your question?”

            He was slightly taken aback by her sharp gaze. “Yes . . . So . . . Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow . . . Michaela?”

            She studied him for a few moments. There was a short, awkward silence and then she shrugged. “Sure.”

            Lucifer found himself smiling. “Okay . . . I’ll meet you at the vending machines tomorrow.”


	30. Chapter 30

            Adam did his best to keep away from Michael the entire day. At Homecoming, a lot had been made clear. Michael supposedly swore that he would stop being so prejudiced towards human and let Adam see that he couldn’t live without him. Adam should have been happy. He should have been overjoyed, even, that Michael had opened up so much. But he just couldn’t find it in him. He felt almost uneasy, like things were awkward now between them. As much as Adam tried, he kept picturing Michael’s angry face and his harsh voice as he complained about how angels and humans didn’t belong together. _He… he wouldn’t have said that if he didn’t mean it, right? I mean… the thought crossed his mind at the very least._

            When the school day finally ended, Adam made a mad dash out of the building and toward his house. He knew that Michael would try to find him and walk him home. He wanted to avoid that situation at all costs.

            He made it about half way home before a large, blond haired figure appeared in front of him. Adam attempted to skid to a halt, but ended up colliding with the broad-shouldered archangel. Michael caught him with strong arms, his vessel not moving an inch from impact. “Why are you in such a hurry?” Michael inquired. The archangel’s eyes were hard, but Adam recognized a hidden pain within them. It made him feel guilty.

            “My . . . My dad is coming to pick me up after school. We’re going out to dinner and ten he’s gonna take me home,” Adam said. That wasn’t a lie; John was coming to pick him up, but not for a few hours. _John . . . John Winchester . . ._ That was another problem that Adam had to deal with. The list of complications just kept getting longer and longer. Sam didn’t even know that Adam was his half-brother yet and Dean . . . Well, Dean just terrified him.

            Michael’s gaze didn’t soften. “Okay, Adam, now you’re just insulting me. I’m an angel of the Lord, you think I wouldn’t know if you were being dishonest with me?” he snapped, his voice rising a few octaves.

            “I am not lying!” Adam insisted indignantly. “I just . . . I didn’t want you to walk me home. You know Michael, sometimes people lie to protect others – to spare their feelings.”

            “I’d much rather you tell me the truth instead of dancing around it,” was Michael’s response. “My brother Balthazar told me that if our relationship was going to work, we needed to trust each other and be honest.”

            “That’s just it, Michael,” Adam huffed in exasperation. He felt his chest grow very tight. The next words he was going to say were clinging to his tongue – they didn’t want to leave. They didn’t want to hurt Michael. “I don’t know if we . . . if we _can_ make this work.”

            Michael froze, stared at the human for a moment, then took a step back. He straightened up a little. His eyes hardened significantly. There was no emotion in them anymore; he had shut down and gone to angelic robot mode. “And why do you think that, Adam?” His voice was frightening – dark, angry.

            “I know you apologized for what you said—”

            “I did,” the archangel interrupted.

            “But that doesn’t make it okay! I can’t just . . . let it go. I mean . . . I can’t stop thinking about it. I . . . I really care about you, Michael. I do. I . . . I want to be with you and be happy . . . but when I think about you, all I can remember is that angry look on your face and saying that humans don’t deserve to be with angels. I just . . . I can’t see you saying that if you didn’t believe it, at least a little bit,” Adam said softly. He avoided Michael’s gaze as he spoke and studied the cracked sidewalk. He didn’t care look up.

            A brief silence followed, then Michael spoke.

            “Well . . . Um . . . If you really feel that way . . . Adam, I—” but the angel broke off mid-sentence. Adam hazarded a glance up at Michael and saw that his face was contorted with regret and pain. “I . . . I can leave you.”

            The thought of a life without Michael really began to set in. Adam tried to imagine it and could picture only dark and terrible things. “I don’t know if I want that either,” he confessed. “I don’t know what I want . . .  Just . . . give me time and be patient . . . Please?”

            Michael’s face changed a little and he looked like the old Michael that Adam loved. “Okay,” he allowed. “I think I can do that.”

            “Thank you,” Adam replied with a weak smile. “Will you . . . Will you walk me home, Michael?”

            A smile spread across the angel’s face and his eyes regained a soothing warmth. “I’d be delighted.”

            And the angel did just that. He made sure that Adam got home safe and sound. Adam was relieved when Michael didn’t try to steal a kiss before vanish from the porch. _Maybe… maybe things will be okay,_ Adam thought. The idea of taking it slow with Michael and rebuilding the trust seemed like a decent enough plan. Adam went up to his room, changed into a nicer pair of jeans and a collared shirt. His mother always wanted him to look his best when John came over – as if to show him what a fine job she was doing and raising his son. He worked on his Algebra homework for a solid half hour before throwing his notebook across the room in frustration. Just as he was thinking about reading the next chapter in his history book, there was a honk from the driveway.

            _That would be him_ , Adam thought with a sigh. Only on good days did John actually come in the house. This didn’t seem like a good day. Usually he called or sent Adam’s mother a text or something. Honking never meant anything good. He hopped off his bed and rushed downstairs so he didn’t piss John off at all – he still didn’t feel comfortable around his dad. His mother kissed him goodbye when he got to the foyer and told him to call her if anything happened. Adam barely listened to her as he pulled on his jacket. Muttering a small goodbye, he trudged out onto the porch. John’s red truck was waiting for him at the end of the drive.

            The wind had a chill to it now that cut through Adam’s thin little jacket. The leaves were bright yellows, oranges, and reds now. Some were scattered across Adam’s front lawn now. It wouldn’t be long before Halloween. Adam climbed into John’s truck and buckled his safety belt. John looked over at him with an exhausted expression. Adam noticed that his father looked much older than he had just a few weeks ago. His face was gaunt and his beard had a few streaks of gray within it. _I wonder if this is about Homecoming… and that demon Lilith. Surely Sam and Dean told him about it._ The thought of his half-brothers made an uncomfortable lump form in his throat. He struggled to swallow it down.

            “How are ya doing, Adam?” John asked laboriously, as if it was too much effort to speak to his own son.

            “Okay,” was all Adam said in response.

            John nodded and backed out of the driveway. They drove down the road in silence for a bit out of Adam’s neighborhood and into the country. “I… I have to meet a friend for dinner tonight. I know I said it would just be the two of us, but this is important. It’s for work. I tried to make it a different night but this was the only time Bobby was available. So I was thinking I could introduce you to the Roadhouse? The owner’s daughter, Jo, goes to school with you,” John explained.

            That got Adam’s attention. If Jo saw Adam with John, wouldn’t she tell Sam and Dean? Adam wondered to himself how long John was going to keep this up – or try to keep this up. _Does he think that I’m stupid? That I wouldn’t figure it out?_

            John turned down a wooded road. It was secluded and didn’t have any turn-offs. Adam stared out the window as John accelerated down the empty road. He had to say something. This dancing around the subject and feigning ignorance – it had to end. _“I’d much rather you tell me the truth instead of dancing around it.”_ Michael was right. Adam needed to be honest with John and himself. He straightened up in the passenger’s seat and took a deep breath. “Um… dad…?” The word “dad” sounded so foreign on his tongue. He looked at John and thought _John_ not _dad._

            The old hunter glanced at his youngest son and then back to the road. “Yeah?”

            “In school I met…” Adam paused, struggling to find the right phrasing. “I met two boys, I think I mentioned them before: Sam and Dean Winchester.”

            “Yeah?” John sounded more interested now and kept looking back and forth from Adam to the road.

            “Dad, I know who they—”

            “FUCK!” John suddenly slammed on the breaks. The tires screeched as they burned against the blacktop. Adam gripped the “oh shit” bar as he heard John call it once and found himself praying.

            _MICHAEL!_

            Adam closed his eyes until the car skidded to a halt. When he dared to open them, he saw a tall, blond-haired beautiful woman standing in front of John’s truck. Confused, Adam couldn’t help but stare. John was panting and shouting obscenities at the woman who still refused to move. Then, Adam saw her eyes roll back in her head and turn completely white.

            _Lilith!_

            Before Adam could even get a proper prayer sent to Michael, he found himself airborne. The truck itself was flying through the air. Adam was upside down and screaming. “MICHAEL!” he was screaming the angel’s name, begging him to hurry up. The truck hit the ground with a thud that made Adam’s brain rattle around in his skull. It then proceeded to roll down what seemed like an endless hill. Adam couldn’t count how many times he was flipped around in that truck as it rolled, occasionally slamming into a tree and being jerked to the side. Halfway down the hill, Adam began to smell gas. The fuel line had to have been torn, or just burst.

            When the truck finally came to a halt, Adam felt like he should be dead. His entire body ached as though every bone had been broken. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to just pass out and never wake up. He could hear John groaning next to him, but couldn’t even find the energy to emit a sound. He couldn’t even think coherently. His thoughts were a litany of Michael’s name. He closed his eyes as the smell of gas became almost suffocating.

            The next thing Adam knew, the autumn breeze was cutting through his thin clothes and he was being held in someone’s muscular arms. He opened his eyes and to see a terrified Michael cradling him. “Adam, thank Father! You’re alright.”

            Adam turned, albeit painfully, and saw John’s red truck lying at the foot of a ravine. “Michael . . . my dad . . .”

            There was a deafening boom and Adam shrank away as the trunk exploded in flames. “NO!” he screeched, struggling in Michael’s arms. “John was in there!”

             “I’m sorry, Adam,” Michael said. His voice sounded firm, like he was trying to be strong for Adam. “But I needed to make sure you were okay. You were more important.”

            Adam just buried his face and began to sob as sirens sounded in the distance.


	31. Chapter 31

            Balthazar was not what one would think of when they heard the word angel. Cas always knew that his eccentric brother was more than a little strange. He liked to party, drink, whore around, steal, lie, and do everything… well… _human_. Cas wasn’t like that at all; he took his job as an angel of the Lord seriously and enjoyed looking after humans (Dean especially). He wasn’t loud, obnoxious, or wild. He’d rather curl up in Heaven (or Dean’s bedroom) with a good book and a cup of tea instead of go to a human party. And yet, despite all of their differences, Cas valued Balthazar as a brother dearly. Next to Gabriel, Balthazar was his closest relative. Even though the blond haired, blue-eyed angel whored around more than the characters in _Game of Thrones_ – a TV show Dean had made him watch one day – Cas still loved his flawed and very human older brother.

            Cas was in his room, for all intents and purposes, in Heaven when Balthazar popped in. Angels did not really have _rooms_ , per say, like humans do in their houses. They simply had certain areas they inhabited. Cas, being a warrior and soldier, usually stayed in Heaven’s barracks. Just down the pristine, white hall was the weapons room that held some of the most powerful items in all of creation. The Ark of the Covenant, the Staff of Moses, the Ten Commandments, etc. were all locked away in there. Balthazar often joked about stealing them and selling them for one hell of a price but never actually acted on it. Since Cas’s quarters were so close to the weapons room, it was his unofficial job to watch over it. However, Cas rarely _guarded_ the room. Everyone knew that they were not supposed to go in it, and no one dared risked Michael or Lucifer’s wrath. When Cas was in Heaven and not visiting his beloved human, he hung on in his little room and read books. They were all human works, mostly romances, and he usually found himself crying by the end of them. He would never tell any of his brothers that he liked romance novels – especially those written by Nicholas Sparks – mostly because they would never let him forget it.

            It was just his luck that Balthazar happened to walk in one day when Cas was very engrossed in one called _The Notebook_. Tears were already forming in his eyes and he wasn’t even halfway done with it yet. He was so involved in the story that he didn’t even notice that his older brother had darkened his doorway.

            “What are you reading, Cassie?” Balthazar asked in his thick accent.

            Cas nearly threw the book across the room he was so startled. He looked up at Balthazar like a deer in headlights. “Oh… Um…” he felt blood rush to his cheeks in embarrassment. With a sigh of resignation and being unable to come up with a good lie, Cas raised up the book so Balthazar could see the cover.

            “ _The Notebook_?” the blond angel read dubiously. “Cassie, you’re joking.”

            He shrugged. “I like it, Balthazar,” he replied, a little defensively. “And I want to find out what happens to Noah and Ellie. They just broke up and they can’t because they’re perfect for each other. It isn’t fair. Just because they’re from different socioeconomic classes doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be together.” The next thing he knew, he was ranting to Balthazar about all the injustices in the book. After about five minutes of complaining, Cas stopped and noticed Balthazar’s disinterested look

            “Well,” the older angel said with a huff. “That sounds like a load of horse shit and I recommend you throw it in the garbage. But I suppose it _is_ better than _Titanic._ That movie was an absolute travesty. I mean, there was room for two on that stupid board or whatever the fuck it was.”

            “Yes, Balthazar,” Cas murmured with a chuckle. “We all know about your hatred for _Titanic._ ”

            With a sigh, Balthazar came and plopped down on the bed beside his younger brother. “Anywho, I didn’t come in here to discuss romance novels or chick flicks with you. I came to ask about your knight in shining armor: Dean Winchester.”

            Cas tensed up and shot his brother an uncertain glance. “Okay… What did you want to ask, Balthazar?”

            The angel laughed a little and playfully punched Cas in the shoulder. “Jeez, Cassie, don’t get so defensive. Lighten up.”

            Remembering that as a similar phrase Dean had once used, Cas refrained of pointing out the obvious that “lightening up” in a physical sense was impossible. “Alright, I will try,” he said, still dubious. “What did you want to ask?”

            Balthazar playfully rolled his eyes at his brother’s attitude and studied the ceiling then. “Well . . . I was just curious about what is up with you and Dean-o.”

            “I don’t think I’m following . . .”

            Balthazar looked at his little brother face on then. “Do you love him, Cassie?”

            Cas didn’t even need to think about that question. “Yes.”

            “Alright,” Balthazar said with a nod. “Does Dean love you?”

            Again, the answer came swift and sure. “Yes. He has told me so many times. I know Lucifer says that you can’t trust humans because they can love multiple things, but I believe Dean. If he was lying to me, I would be able to tell. His soul shines with earnestness whenever he tells me. I know it’s true.”

            Balthazar listened to this with a hard face. “That may be well and good, Cassie. I’m not Michael or Lucifer, okay? Understand that. I’m not going to lay down the law and say that you should cut ties with Dean.” Cas felt himself stiffen again. Red flags were going up in his head and he felt the urge to cover his ears. Whatever Balthazar was going to say, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear. “But, I just want you to really think about whether you and Dean have a future.”

            That was not exactly what Cas had been expecting, but still did not bode well. “I haven’t really thought about our future,” he confessed after a few moments. “But I know that I _want_ to be with Dean forever.”

            With a sigh, Balthazar put a hand on Cas’s shoulder. “That’s the thing, Cas. Dean is mortal. He’s going to get old. He’s going to die. Don’t you think that . . . maybe one day, he might decide that he’ll want a family?”

            “I can give him a family,” Cas assured. “If he wants a child, we can adopt.”

            “I mean with a woman, Cas.”

            Cas faltered then. Dean’s bisexuality was something Cas was very uncomfortable with. He knew a lot about Dean’s reputation with women and didn’t like to think about it at all. _Dean loves me_ , Cas tried to remind himself. _When people love each other, they stay with each other because it makes them happy. He wouldn’t leave me… Unless…_ His mind went back to Lucifer’s lectures of how humans could love more than one person. Cas couldn’t imagine loving anyone but Dean. He couldn’t see himself kissing anyone else but Dean. He couldn’t see himself giving himself up to anyone but Dean. Dean was all he could ever want or need.

            “I don’t think that will happen, Balthazar,” Cas said then. He looked at his brother’s tired expression and sighed. “I appreciate your concern. I know you are just trying to . . . keep me informed and prevent me from any heartache, but I’m confident in my relationship with Dean. And . . . if he decides he does want to be with a woman . . . Well than I shall cross that bridge when, and if, it arrives.”

             The blond-haired angel just sighed again. He smiled, but it was a week and remorseful one. “Alright, Cassie. Whatever you say. Just know that Dean and I – we’re birds of a feather. We’re playboys, and that’s never going to change. Just be prepared for the inevitable.”

            Cas frowned as Balthazar disappeared on such a dreary note. He shook his head and went back to reading his book. His thoughts were clouded though with what Balthazar said, and he found himself staring at the pages and absorbing nothing. He sighed and set the book on the bed with a huff. “Balthazar doesn’t know anything,” he told himself aloud. He laughed a little then and shook his head. “He’s never even had a real relationship so what would he know anyway?” He picked up his book again, his conscious cleared and opened back up to the page he was on. Before he could get re-engrossed in the novel, however, a familiar voice infiltrated his head.

            _Cas . . . if you can hear me . . ._

            It was Dean, and he sounded distressed.

            _Cas, I . . . I need you, man . . . Right now. It’s not—_

            There was a pause. Cas was already off the bed and working on finding Dean’s exact location.

            _It’s not good down here. I need you with me, Cas_.

            Cas was already on the way.


	32. Chapter 32

            Dean Winchester didn’t cry. That was just something that he didn’t do. Dean was the strong one. He held Sam’s hand and stayed strong for his little brother. That was his job. He didn’t get to cry. Sam needed him more right now. Dean stared straight ahead at the opposite wall of the hospital’s waiting room. If Sam hadn’t been there, Dean would have been demanding to know what they had done with his father’s body and why John had been with Adam of all people. There were so many questions swarming his brain that he could hardly think clearly. He sent a prayer to Cas when they arrived to the hospital and was anxiously awaiting his angel’s arrival. Dean was sure that Gabriel would come too, meaning he could hand Sam over to the capable hands of his boyfriend and pull Cas aside.

            When Dean had heard about the wreck, he had been at home. Sam was in the living room, lying on the couch and reading a book for English, completely content. Dean had been in the kitchen making cookies. It had been a while since the Winchesters had had cookies and since Dean would rather bake than do his Trig homework, he was all for it. Dean’s cell phone was sitting on the counter next to the stove when it rang. The older Winchester picked it up, after wiping dough off his hands with a paper towel.

            “Hello, this Dean Winchester. What nightmare can I help you with today?” he said with a grin.

            He expected it to be one of his father’s clients who couldn’t reach John so called the best alternative: his son. When a woman’s voice came on and said this was the number John told her to call of something ever happened to him, Dean froze. He listened numbly as this strange woman told him that John Winchester had been killed in a car crash. Dean dropped everything, grabbed Sammy off of the couch and jumped into the Impala. On the way to the hospital, Sam kept demanding to know what happened.

            “Dad’s hurt, Sammy,” was all Dean could bare to say. “He’s hurt . . . He’s just hurt . . .” He found that the more he said it, he was saying it for himself, not for Sam.

            When they got to the hospital, a nurse told Sam the bad news. Dean watched the nurse as she sympathetically put a hand on Sam’s shoulder as he broke down in pathetic sobs. He knew that he should have been the one to tell Sam, but how could he? How could he look his baby brother in the eye and tell him that John was dead? Dean thanked the nurse for her kindness and took Sam over to a seat in the waiting room. The woman that had called him – Kate, her name was – was supposed to come meet them there. Dean didn’t know how she knew about John or _why_ she knew him, and he was more focused on finding that out. If he could focus on anything except the thought of never seeing his dad again, it was worth it.  

            Movement made Dean’s head snap to the side. He saw a blond-haired woman emerge from the hospital rooms. Her eyes were blood-shot and her face flushed from crying. She looked around the waiting room with foggy eyes before looking directly at Dean. He got up and started toward her at a brisk pace. “Are you Kate?” he snapped in a gruff voice.

            She flinched a little from his tone and nodded. “Y-yes… I take it you’re Dean?”

            “I am,” he answered, his eyes narrowing. “Now, if you don’t mind, would you care to tell me how you know my father and why _your son_ was in the car with him?”

            “You . . .” Kate started, then trailed off. She gazed at Dean with a confused and suddenly very understanding look. “You mean he never told you?”

            “Told me what?!” Dean snarled in response. His body was tense and his blood roaring in his ears. He didn’t want to hear the truth that made sense. He didn’t want to hear it from _her._

            Kate sighed and pursed her lips in a frown before shaking her head. “John was my son Adam’s father. Adam said . . . Adam said that he knew a Sam and Dean from school, but I didn’t think . . . I didn’t realize that he had met his half-brothers.”

            _Half-brothers?_

Dean felt light-headed. He’d never fainted in his life, but he could hardly handle this. John was dead. He had had an affair with the woman that was currently looking Dean in the eyes. John had a son. He had a son that he never told Sam and Dean about . . . that he kept away from “the life.”

            Everything Dean thought about John Winchester drastically changed in that one moment.

            “Dean.”

            Dean turned around to see the one pair of eyes he needed to see in that moment. “Cas.” The angel’s name came out roughly, as if Dean had been choking while saying it. He saw the familiar shape of Gabriel now sitting in the chair next to Sammy. The archangel held Sam in his arms as the young human cried over his father. _How am I going to tell Sammy about . . . about Adam?_

            Adam.

            Sam’s best friend at Supernatural High.

            Adam had sat at their lunch table since the second day of school.

            That entire time, Dean had been with his half-brother and he never knew.

            “Dean, is everything alright? Why are you here?” Cas began to inquire. His voice was not loud or panicked, but that same deep monotone that Dean had come to love. It was a reassuring voice that seemed to tell Dean that everything would be okay.      

            “I . . . Uh . . .” His mouth ran dry as he fought for words to explain. _John is dead._ That’s all he had to say, but no matter how hard he tried, the words refused to leave his tongue. “Can . . . Can you just read my mind?”

            Cas’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “I never read your mind, Dean. I know you would consider that an intrusion on your privacy,” he pointed out in that matter-of-fact manner of his.

            “I know Cas,” Dean murmured softly. He heard the click of Kate’s heels as she disappeared back into the hospital rooms. “I just . . . I can’t say the words aloud. I can’t.”

            The angel took Dean’s arm and pulled him out of the waiting room. He took him over to a small room that was isolated from the waiting room and the front desk. Five vending machines now surrounded the pair as Cas looked at his boyfriend quizzically. “Dean . . .” With almost a sigh of consent, the angel put his hand to Dean’s forehead. Cas’s eyes turned a very bright, almost turquoise blue before fading back to normal. His face showed the devastation and pain Dean was feeling inside. “Oh, Dean . . . I’m so sorry.”

            The next thing Dean knew, he was in Cas’s arms. Whether he threw himself into them or Cas had taken the initiative, he didn’t know. He felt the tears brim in his eyes and begin to overflow. Cas rubbed his back and peppered his neck with little kisses. “I’m so sorry, Dean,” the angel kept saying. “I can’t imagine how you feel right now. It’s okay if you cry, Dean. Everyone cries. It doesn’t mean that you’re weak, it means that you’ve been strong for long enough and it’s time to let it out.”

            Dean began to whimper and gave his angel a tight squeeze. “He had another son . . .” he whimpered pitifully. “Adam . . . Adam from school – Sammy’s best friend! It was John’s other son . . . He . . . His entire life he was so consumed with finding Mom’s killer. That’s all he could think about. He _ruined_ our lives, Cas! Me and Sammy – we’ll never get to have normal lives because of him. He never thought about what we wanted! He never thought that I might like to be a musician one day, or maybe an actor, or hell even a gym teacher! He never thought that Sammy might like to be a doctor or a lawyer. All he wanted was for us to be his dutiful little soldiers that did whatever he wanted! And then . . . Then he goes and _betrays_ Mom and has a kid with some whore and then keep him _away_ from everything we are! He protected him, Cas. While I was out fighting werewolves and getting the shit kicked out of me by some monster, or going hungry so Sammy could eat, or staying up until my eyes stung and my entire body hurt because he was out on a hunt – his fucking third kid was sleeping in his bed and never had to worry about anything!”

            Dean’s tears had gone from grief to those of pain and frustration. The entire time he ranted, Cas just held him tight and continued to kiss his neck and face. “Dean, it’s alright. If John had kept you away from this life, you never would have met me. You were born for this, Dean. Hunting is in your blood, you know that. You love this life.”

            “Because I had no other choice. I had to learn to love it!” Dean snapped, pulling back a bit.

            “But think of all the people you’ve saved, Dean Winchester,” Cas persisted. He took Dean’s face in one of his hands, forcing the hunter to look him in the eyes. “You are a hero. You are an amazing man and I am proud to be your boyfriend. You turned out okay, and you’re going to be okay. John made terrible mistakes, but he was _human_. All humans – even angels – make mistakes. Look at how many angels have made terrible decisions since the start of this year.”

            Dean hung his head in defeat. Cas was right. Cas was smarter than Dean often thought he was; he was the only voice of reason Dean had in his life at the moment. The hunter had no idea what he would do without the angel in the trench-coat. “He . . .” Dean’s voice cracked a little as the tears returned. The real thought that had been eating him up inside resurfaced and he found himself again encompassed by Cas’s arms. “He loved Adam more,” he choked out. “That’s why he kept him away. He wanted to protect _him_ , but not me and Sammy.”

            “Shh,” Cas soothed. “No he didn’t, Dean. John loved you. He would have sold his soul for you. You were his son. He lived with you. He made sure that you could protect yourself from the monsters of this world. If anything, that proved he loved you as any father loves his son. John wanted you to be okay no matter what. Adam could have been killed by a monster because he had no idea how to defend himself. You were prepared. You could take on anything. He believed in you. He knew you were strong enough for this life, Dean. And I would bet my soul that John loved you, that’s how sure of it I am.”

            Dean couldn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say or if there were even words to be said. All he could do was just bury his face in Cas’s neck and try not to sob.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy I am so sorry about the really long time it took for me to update this story. I kind of have been writing my own independent novel... But it's finished now. I get to edit it now! Woot woot! 
> 
> Anywho, here we are again. Supernatural High. Damn, it's good to be back.

            Sam felt as though everything in his life was crashing down around him. John was dead. Adam – his best friend – was his half-brother. Dean appeared to had shut down and gone into robot mode to protect himself from his own emotions. Sam didn’t know what to do other than hug himself and try to stop crying. He had a lot of issues with his father, sure, but what kid doesn’t? John was obsessed with the job and wasn’t the best father, but he was still one of the few people Sam had.

            Dean had left a minute or so ago to talk to some blond lady that had walked out of the back rooms. Sam couldn’t help but eavesdrop and overhear the other thing that sent his life spiraling out of control: Adam was his brother. Sam did all he could to retreat into the recesses of his mind and try not to focus on anything else. He wanted to escape from the pain and the betrayal that was running rampant through his body. He was so focused in blocking everything out, Gabriel’s voice practically made him jump out of his skin.

            “Hey bucko,” Gabriel murmured with remorseful eyes.

            Sam blinked at his angel for a moment, trying to register that he was even there. He felt so loss and so confused. Gabriel sensed this and pulled the younger boy in for a hug. “Sam, I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I wish I could make you feel better. I’d give you all the candy in the world and take you to Rio if I thought that would cheer you up.”

            If it had been under other circumstances, Sam might have chuckled at is angel’s attempts, but not now. “My dad . . .” Sam whimpered. “He’s gone, Gabe.”

            Gabriel ran a gentle hand through Sam’s hair. “I know, kiddo. I know.”

            “He . . . He had another son. Adam,” he told him softly.

            The archangel didn’t look surprised at all, just remorseful. He kissed Sam’s head and just continued to console him. His reaction was cause for Sam to pull back a little. He looked at into Gabriel’s whiskey-colored eyes. “Did . . . Did you know? About Adam . . . ?”

            Gabriel just nodded slowly and sighed. “I’m sorry, Sam. Angels know a lot of thing about humans – we can tell by scent and . . . well . . . we’re angels and we see a lot of things during our time in the clouds.”

            To his surprise, Sam wasn’t mad at his angel. Whether it was he couldn’t find the energy or because he just understood it, he didn’t know. In a way, it was relief that he didn’t feel any anger; he didn’t want to fight anyway. “Why didn’t you say anything?” That was all Sam wanted to know.

            “Kiddo, there are just some things that I’m not allowed to talk about. I know a lot of things that humans can’t comprehend. It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you either, I was not allowed to. This was one of those things that I’m not supposed to talk about. I’m also not supposed to talk about your future and where you’ll be in ten years and what will happen with Dean and Cas. As a powerful angel, I have that kind of foresight and I’ve seen a lot of things that have happened on this Earth. I’m just not supposed to share it with my Father’s favorite creations,” Gabriel explained in a somber tone. The usual upbeat happiness was absent from his voice.

            Sam didn’t say anything for a while, then cleared his throat. “Did . . . Did Adam know?”

            The archangel didn’t respond, and that was enough for Sam to know the answer. He let out a small sigh and burrowed deeper in Gabriel’s chest. “Why didn’t he say anything?”

            Gabriel stroked Sam’s hair with a gentle hand. He took a few of his human’s long, dark brown locks and twirled them through his fingers. “Maybe he just didn’t know the right words,” Gabriel murmured. “Adam liked you, Sam. He was your friend and he trusted you with a lot. I’m sure he was worried about whether or not you would believe him, and if you would still want to be his friend afterward.”

            Deep down, Sam knew that his angel was right. He sniffled a little and continued to lean on Gabriel for support. All the while, Gabriel never shifted in discomfort or expressed any sign of being tired of cradling the emotionally distraught human. After a few minutes of silence, Gabriel began to hum a tune. Sam listened to it for a while then pulled back a little and looked at the angel with a confused expression. “Are . . . Are you humming ‘Heat of the Moment’ by Asia?”

            The archangel chuckled a little bit and pecked a kiss on Sam’s neck.

 

“ _I never meant to be so bad to you_

_One thing I said I would never do._

_A look from you and I would fall from grace_

_And that would wipe this smile right from my face._ ”

 

            Sam began to blush and fought against Gabriel’s now iron-like arms. “Gabriel!” he hissed, although he found himself laughing. The angel’s off-pitch singing made him giggle even if he was upset. “Stop. I’m supposed to be sad, stop it.”

            Gabriel just smiled broadly and continued.

 

“ _Do you remember when we used to dance_

_And incidence arose from circumstance?_

_One thing led to another when we were young_

_And we would scream together songs unsung._ ”

 

            People in the waiting room were beginning to stare now as Gabriel tickled Sam’s sides, making the human laugh harder. Tears still ran down his face, but they were ones of laughter instead of sadness. “Gabe!” Sam began to whimper through his laughter.

            The archangel let the human go then and stood up with all the flamboyance he possessed. He grabbed a magazine off a coffee table and rolled it up before holding it to his lips as though it were a microphone.

 

“ _It was the heat of the moment_

_Telling me what your heart meant!_

_The heat of the moment shone in your eyes!_ ”

 

            Gabriel proceeded to do a split in the middle of the floor. His performance, as bad as his singing was, made a few of the people in the waiting room clap. The nurses behind the desk scowled at him but did nothing to stop his antics. After taking a bow, Gabriel went back to Sam’s side and wrapped an arm around his still giggling human. “Well, I made you feel better, didn’t I?”

            Sam smiled a little and hugged his angel. “Yeah. What would I do without you, Gabe?”

            “Oh, crash and burn,” the archangel teased as he pulled away before playing a kiss on his forehead.

            “Sam?”

            The human turned to see Adam standing by the doors that led to the recovery rooms of the hospital. A tall, blond woman stood next to him – Kate, her name was if Sam remembered correctly. Sam looked at Gabriel and gave a remorseful smile before slowly making his way toward Adam. When he approached, the smaller boy murmured something to his mother. Kate looked a little insulted at first and looked from Adam to Sam. With a huff, she backed off and went to stand on the opposite side of the waiting room. As Sam gone nearer, he noticed Adam’s bloodshot eyes and red, swollen cheeks from crying.

            “Sam, I . . . I’m so sorry,” Adam choked out. His eyes began to fill with tears again and Sam’s depressed mood from earlier returned, hitting him like a truck.

            Sam froze and took a deep breath. “Adam . . . It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it . . . brother.”

            The blond boy’s eyes widened in surprise. He avoided Sam’s gaze, studying the tile floor. “I guess . . . I guess you would know that now. Look, I’ve known about it since Homecoming – Lucifer told me. I just . . . I was waiting for the right moment. I didn’t know before that.”

            “It’s okay,” Sam assured him. He placed a firm hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I understand, Adam. Look . . . I’m sure that dad loved you a lot – more than it might have seemed. I mean . . . He kept you away from the hunting life – he wanted you to be normal. He knew that Dean and I never had a chance . . . but he wanted you to grow up and never know about the monsters in the closet.”

            Adam sniffled and shook his head. “I guess . . . I guess I never thought about it like that. But Sam, it was Lilith. We were driving and all of a sudden, she was there – on the road. She . . . _flung_ the truck to the side! Then Michael . . . Michael had time to save me, but he didn’t get to dad fast enough.”

            _Lilith._ Sam tried not to get angry – he knew that anger would make him stupid. He would make a mistake. He would act irrationally. But in that moment, he was filled with a white-hot rage. _That demonic . . . bitch!_ Sam clenched his hands into the fists, wondering what Dean was going to think. “We’ll get her,” he vowed. “Don’t worry about that. I promise you, Dean and I will destroy her. _I_ will destroy her.”

            For a moment, Sam swore he saw fear flash in his brother’s eyes. He immediately felt remorse and took a step back. _Damn it,_ he thought, shaking his head a little. _Why can’t I just be normal? Even Adam thinks I’m a freak._ He couldn’t help his rage – he couldn’t help that he _hated_ demons, Lilith in particular. He couldn’t help getting lost in his emotions. “I’m sorry,” he quickly amended. “I just . . . Lilith has hurt a lot of people close to me. She deserves to die.”

            Adam nodded. “No, no, I agree. I just . . . wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from you. You don’t seem like the type.”

            Sam sighed. _I could surprise you, brother._


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for being patient! Sorry for the long time between updates

            The water sprinkled onto the dark brown soil, occasionally splattering onto the leaves or stems of the delicate flowers. Lucifer knew that it was useless to water the flowers by simply pouring all the water on it – if the water didn’t enter the soil, then it was pointless. He always took his time when watering to make sure that the water would soak into the ground so the roots could take it in and help the flower bloom. This was his last section to water for the day, and his mind was drifting back toward the little vampire he had encountered at school.

            Michaela Lafitte.

            What a strange creature she was.

            She fascinated him beyond belief. Even when his mind was drifting off to other things, she was always there – a haunting image in the back of his mind. No one – angel, demon, monster, or human – had ever had such an effect on him. He was an archangel – God’s strongest. It was his job to remain impenetrable. He was in charge of protecting Heaven and being a warrior. He was a fighter, not a lover. Lucifer had always known that he was not meant to love; he was created for a far greater purpose. After all, what was love for other than procreation? It simply made the act easier on both parties if they were attracted to each other. Love was a concept God created for the weak mortals so they could find comfort. Angels didn’t need love – angels were much stronger than men. Of course, there was a sort of familial bond between all angels. All of them were God’s children – servants of humanity. _Servants is an apt description. It’d be more accurate if we wore chains too,_ Lucifer thought bitterly. They were brothers and sisters in binds. Lucifer cared for his siblings, but love – love was simply asking too much. He knew that if a line needed to be drawn, he would have no problem making the fissure in the sand. If he needed to fight his siblings once again like he had at the dawn of humanity, he would be able to do so. There is a difference between caring for someone and being sentimental, he supposed. Killing an angel was not a pleasant thing for anyone, and Lucifer would never call it _easy._ But he could always do it. Because he was strong enough. He didn’t allow any personal feelings he had to get in the way. That was God’s intention, he knew it.

            Lucifer did not know what true love was. How could he? Love was not something angels thought about, nor was it something the Devil was exactly concerned with. He had seen different interpretations of it through observation of humanity and through media. It was mostly in books that Lucifer got his knowledge of what love was – the butterflies in the stomach, the warm and fuzzy feeling in the chest, the overwhelming happiness at seeing _that person_ , them being on the mind constantly. That was what he believed love to be, and he was not wrong in some respects. But that was not all there was to it. Lucifer also knew that a book could never truly describe human feelings, no matter how talented the author was. Humans were complex little creatures with a myriad of emotions – some of which were rational, but many were irrational. They felt things they couldn’t explain. Love was one of them more often than not.

            The concept was something he just could not wrap his head around.

            And yet, whenever the idea of _love_ caught his mind, an image of Michaela Lafitte kept appearing in his mind.

            Just like the book described, he kept thinking about her. He got the butterflies in his stomach. That warm, fuzzy feeling enveloped him when he thought of seeing her again at school. He just felt so happy whenever she came to mind. There was some frustration mixed in, but it was miniscule compared to the amount of pleasure that struck him when he saw her face in his thoughts.

            Lucifer finished watering the daffodils and went over to the little waterfall in Heaven’s gardens. He brought with him a woven basket. Inside it, were two dozen roses that needed to be trimmed and have their thorns removed. Gabriel had asked Lucifer to prepare a bouquet of roses for him to give to Sam. Of course, Lucifer was repulsed by the romantic gesture, but he obeyed. _If there is one being in this world I_ can _love, it’s Gabriel,_ he thought with a small smile. His younger brother was just impossible to _not_ like. He sat cross-legged on the ground and began to remove the thorns from each rose. He made sure to get them all. _Don’t want the human to prick himself, do we?_ For a while, Lucifer debated leaving a few for his own wicked enjoyment, but decided against it. This was for Gabriel. Now if Michael had wanted roses for _his_ human, Lucifer definitely would have left a few in there.

            A flutter of wings made Lucifer sigh. He recognized the powerful wing strokes. “Michael,” he greeted his older brother with disinterest. “Whatever can I do for you?” He continued to clean up the rose in his hand, not turning to face his brother.

            “Lucifer,” Michael croaked. His voice was hoarse – dry. The sound of it made Lucifer turn to face him. Michael’s eyes were bloodshot, red, and showed his exhaustion. His hair was ruffled and ragged; honestly, it looked as though he had just fought off a pack of hellhounds. Lucifer got to his feet, dropping the rose in concern for his brother. He gripped Michael’s shoulders to hold him up and keep him from falling.

            “Michael?” Lucifer asked, breathlessly. “What happened? Are you okay?”’

            The archangel nodded tiredly. “Yes . . . But . . . John Winchester is dead.”

            Lucifer paused, uncertain how this related to him, or Michael for that matter. “Okay . . . And? He’s a human. Humans die all the time. Let me guess – all the alcohol finally poisoned his liver?”

            “Lilith killed him,” Michael said sharply. “She tried to kill Adam.”

            Then he understood the gravity of the situation. “And did she get away?”

            Michael frowned. “I . . . I didn’t get there in time to stop her – she was gone. I saved Adam, but didn’t have the time to save John . . .”

            “We’ll find her, Michael,” Lucifer vowed. “We’ll find her. She needs to be stopped, and we can do it. She’s just a demon – a demon with an attitude. We can handle her no problem . . .” Then, a certain thought crept back into his mind. _Meg . . . Meg supported her. How many others do?_ “However, she might have some . . . support.”

            “Support?” Michael queried. “What do you mean?”

            Lucifer bit his lip, hesitating what not to say. “Meg and I . . . we broke up.” _How long ago was that? Was that . . . Today? I couldn’t have been . . . But it must have . . ._

            The two brothers stood there in awkward silence as Michael searched for words. They argued, they didn’t console one another or exchange kind words. “I’m . . . sorry,” Michael murmured stiffly. “I know . . . I know you liked her.”

            “Eh,” the Devil shrugged. “I mean . . . It’s not that bad. I already have a date for tomorrow.” He smiled faintly as Michaela’s face appeared in his mind – the big, brown eyes staring into his.

            “A date?” Michael’s voice betrayed his shock. “Really? Another demon?”

            “Nope!” Lucifer chuckled. “Vampire.”

            “Oh. Because that’s better.”

            “Shut up, Mikey.”

            “Lucifer,” Michael growled in a warning voice.

            “Alright, alright. I won’t poke the bear – I get it.”

            There was a brief silence before Michael sighed. “So . . . What’s the name of my brother’s newest girlfriend?”

            “She’s not my girlfriend!” Lucifer quickly snapped in defense. “Whatever relationship we have, it is not reached . . . ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ status yet.”

            Michael rolled his eyes. “Okay, but are you gonna tell me her name or not? I mean, if you guys sit with us, I’d like to know what to call her.”

            Lucifer huffed and avoided his brother’s eyes. Once Michael found out her name, Lucifer knew that he was never going to let him live it down. “Her name is Michaela Lafitte,” he forced out.

            “Michaela?” Michael repeated. “Aw, little brother.” Before Lucifer could process what was going on, Michael had wrapped him up in a big bear-hug. His brother’s large, magnificent white wings surrounded them as well. “I had no idea you felt that way about me! You love your big brother so much, you had to go find a girl who has my name!”

            Lucifer felt his face grow hot with embarrassment. Michael didn’t usually joke around like this. _He’s probably trying to keep his mind off Adam and what happened with Lilith,_ Lucifer reasoned. That still didn’t make it better, though. It was still _very_ humiliating. He fought against Michael’s grip, shoving his brother away. “Get the fuck off me, you gaywad. We _all_ know which way you swing, so stay away from me!” Lucifer hissed, partially teasing. His face was still flushed and he knew that he looked flustered.

            Michael just chuckled. “You’re so cute, Lucifer.”

            The younger brother stuck out a forked tongue as a retort. Then, a few moments later, Lucifer observed Michael curiously. “Why are you in such a . . . shall we say jovial mood? You got here and you were ready to collapse and looked like Hell.”

            Michael shrugged. “Being back in Heaven does wonders,” he commented. “I think that being in Heaven kind of . . . renews our grace for a little bit. We feel closer to Father – get stronger. And I feel better. I mean . . . I needed to let off some steam and have a laugh or two. After . . .”

            “Hey,” Lucifer quickly interjected before Michael could think too hard about it. “I get it.”

            Michael gave him another good-natured smile. “You know . . . I missed this – you and me getting along.”

            “Oh, yeah. Two brothers laughing and joking together. What a concept. Too bad we never thought of trying it before.”

            “I mean it, Lucifer,” Michael said, his voice deepening to show how serious he was. “We spent so much time fighting each other . . . I allowed my own . . . ideas of what was ‘right’ to control who I was. But since Adam – I know you still hate the humans, but . . . Adam has made me realize a lot. I love him, Lucifer. I love him – I never thought I’d ever be able to say that wholeheartedly. I mean . . . I’ve never _loved_ anyone but Father. But thanks to Adam, I’ve realized a lot about you.”

            “Me?” he repeated, raising his eyebrows. Lucifer folded his arms across his chest and gave Michael a pointed look. “And what exactly have you discovered about me?”

            “You aren’t as bad as I thought you were. You’re still . . . You’re still my brother. You aren’t all bad. You aren’t completely evil – no one is. I was so sure that Father made you to be the worst of the worst . . . But Father made you so you could be redeemed one day – so you could realize that there is more to this world than we all thought there was . . . And I think you’re about to find that out,” Michael explained. He wore a thoughtful expression as he surveyed his younger brother.

            Lucifer just snorted at his little speech. “Yeah, okay, Michael. Have you been drinking any liquor stores lately?”

            “I mean it, Lucifer. I think . . . I think this girl – this vampire – is gonna be good for you. I mean . . . If they’re named after me . . .”

            Lucifer chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Okay, thank you for the vote of confidence, Mikey. Now get the fuck out of my garden.”


	35. Chapter 35

            Adam didn’t go to school the rest of the week. Sam and Dean had stayed home also, which was understandable. The two brothers went home with Bobby Singer, a close family friend. Dean was eighteen and technically Sam’s legal guardian, but it was best for both of them if they lived with Bobby, or so Adam had been told.

            The days were long. They drug on for what seemed like an eternity. Adam seldom left his room except to go to the bathroom. Every now and then, his mother would bring him food and beg him to eat. He would humor her a bit – take a few nibbles until she smiled. She’d usually leave the room then and he would throw the rest of the food out the window. His appetite was gone.

            Adam’s mind replayed the “accident” over and over again. “Accident” was what the police called it – what his mother called it. It was no accident. It was murder. But the police would never understand. His mother would never understand, even if she did know about the “other” world. Adam didn’t want her to know a demon had killed John – and almost him too. Kate Milligan didn’t need to worry about her son any more than she already was. A part of Adam felt relieved in a bittersweet way. Sam and Dean finally knew the truth. He was their brother. That secret was off his chest. The price, however, was John’s life. Adam was disconnected from his father, so his grief was not as extreme or as consuming as Sam and Dean’s, but he did feel guilt. _Lilith was coming after me too . . . Maybe to get at Michael . . . If I hadn’t been in that car . . ._

            Michael had saved him, but didn’t have time to save John.

            _My father died . . . but here I am . . . I’m still here. Why do I get special treatment? There is nothing important about me. I’m no one . . . I’m not even a real Winchester. If I died or disappeared everyone would forget about me. Sam and Dean would move on. My mother would. John wouldn’t even know the difference. The world would keep turning. I’m nothing. I’m just an after-thought._ Whenever he thought this, Michael came to mind. If there was one being in this world that would miss Adam if something happened to him, it was Michael. Even if no one else cared – if they moved on and forgot who Adam even was, Michael would remember . . . for a time. _But Michael is an angel. He can have anyone he wants, and he’ll forget me too one day._

            His archangel visited him daily. The interactions were usually very somber and reserved. Michael would stand there, stare at him awkwardly for a while (that seemed to be a normality for _most_ angels), and then quietly tell him what was going on at school. When that was over, Michael would sit on the bed and watch Adam’s every move, check his injuries, or sometimes just look out the window. Adam would watch his angel just as intently. Michael was _perfect_ , of course. He had known this for a while, but that didn’t stop his breath from being taken away whenever Michael met his eyes.

            At first, he had been angry with Michael for saving him – it was stupid, but he could not stop what he felt. But, in all actuality, he knew that it wasn’t Michael’s fault. Michael protected his human. He did what he needed to do. Adam knew that, and he felt bad for taking out his self-hatred on his angel. _I shouldn’t be alive . . . John shouldn’t be dead._ A part of Adam wanted to tell him this, but he couldn’t find the words.

            Friday of that week, Michael showed up as usual. He didn’t seem to have anything to report that day, so he made his way over to the window. Adam watched as Michael opened the window, a cool autumn breeze entering the room. Michael’s golden hair billowed slightly, making him look even more regal than usual. “Sorry if you didn’t want it open,” he murmured. “But I felt really warm suddenly. My vessel needed the breeze.”

            “Michael,” Adam said softly.

            The angel’s head instantly snapped toward him. Adam had spoken maybe three words to him since John’s death. His brown eyes alight with expectancy.

            “I’m . . . I’m so sorry,” Adam choked out. His throat was swelling with emotion; a lump was forming there. His vision was beginning to blur with tears as the reality of what he had been doing to Michael hit him hard. How bad had Michael felt all this time? How much had he blamed himself for Adam’s pain?

            Michael’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Sorry?” he repeated. The archangel approached the bed and sat next to his human. “Sorry for what?” he questioned in a soft voice.

            Adam sniffled and wiped at the tears that were falling from his eyes. “I’m sorry for yelling at you after what happened with my dad. I just . . . I was really upset. I wasn’t really mad at you. I hate . . . I hate that things feel awkward now. I don’t want them to be awkward anymore! I just want it to go back to the way things were before.”

            Michael sighed and opened his arms. Adam quickly jumped into them, giving the angel a hug of his own. “There is nothing to be sorry for,” Michael soothed him. “When I heard your prayer, I panicked. Adam . . . the thought of losing you . . . I don’t think I’ve ever felt fear like that before. I cannot . . . I cannot imagine a world where you don’t exist, Adam.”

            His words only made Adam feel worse. He began to sob, burying his face in Michael’s chest. His angel held him tightly and rubbed his back, trying to be soothing. “Adam, please,” Michael whispered. “Don’t cry. I don’t like seeing you cry.”

            Adam pulled away slightly so he could look into Michael’s eyes. All he saw was anguish and helplessness there. “Please,” the angel whispered. His voice was rough and twisted with agony. “Tell me how I can help you. You’ve been . . . so withdrawn all week. I thought you were furious with me, but I couldn’t stay away. Help me help you feel better.”

            “I should be dead,” Adam whimpered, hiding his face in Michael’s shoulder.

            “What?” he asked, appalled by the human’s words.

            “I should have died with John in that truck and I didn’t.”

            “Adam, don’t say that.” There was a moment of silence then, Michael spoke again. His voice was hoarse with emotion. “Don’t you ever say that.”

            Adam risked a look at the angel to see a single tear running down his cheek. “Michael . . .”

            “Don’t you realize how important you are?” the archangel demanded. His voice was harsh now, angry. “Don’t you see? Before I met you, I hated humanity. I was cold and bitter and cruel. And then I found you . . . and I was reminded who I really am – who I was before my Father left. You are an extraordinary human, Adam Milligan, and you are entirely too hard on yourself. Don’t you understand that you are perfect? I _adore_ you. I do. I know I might not always show it, but you are . . . you are _everything_ to me. If you died . . . Adam, I would probably kill myself.”

            “Michael!”

  
            “I cannot live without my life. I cannot live without my soul,” the angel said simply, quoting _Wuthering Heights_.

            Adam shook his head. “I didn’t know you read Brontë,” he murmured.

            Michael smirked a little. “I read it to study human emotions . . . and Castiel left it lying around.” He let out a small chuckle. “My little brother and his romance novels. Although I think the book only confused me even more about how humans think and feel, but it had a lot of good points. It helped me realize my feelings for you.”

            “Okay, but I don’t ever want to hear you say that again,” Adam said. He was sitting in Michael’s lap now, staring at his brown eyes intently.

            “Say what?”

  
            “That you’ll kill yourself!” Adam hissed. “I can’t . . . I can’t even think about it. I love you too much to think about anyone hurting you, especially not yourself – not because of me. I’m not worth it, Michael. I am . . . I am nothing . . . just a stupid human. When I’m gone, you might miss me for a while, but you’ll move on. You’re Michael the archangel, you can have anyone you want. You’ll forget me one day.”

            Michael shook his head throughout the entirety of Adam’s speech. “No. No, Adam, you are _not_ nothing. You’re _everything_ , how many times must I tell you before you’ll believe me? And I don’t want anyone else but you . . . and how could I ever forget the human who melt my heart of ice?”

            Adam stared at him before nestling his head in the crook of Michael’s neck. _What did I do to deserve this? Why do I get this? I don’t deserve him. I don’t . . ._ “Michael . . .”

            “Yes, Adam?”

            “I love you . . . and I never want you to leave again,” he admitted. “I know it’s selfish of me, and I don’t deserve your love . . . But I want you more than anything else in this world.”

            “Adam,” Michael said in a warm, affectionate voice. “I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

            “Good . . . You’re too important to me to . . . to lose because I’m stupid.”

            “You aren’t stupid,” Michael replied. “And if you insist that you are, then I love your stupidity. I love everything about you.”

            That made the human blush a little bit. The pain in his chest – the guilt that he felt had evaporated thanks to Michael’s sweet words. He looked at Michael and his breath hitched at the angel’s gorgeous smile. “Michael,” Adam whispered. He feared if he spoke louder, his voice would squeak.

            The archangel arched an eyebrow, cradling Adam closer to him.

            “I . . . I want you.”

            Michael grinned. “I know, you just told me. And I’m here.”

            “No . . .” Adam said softly. He looked away from his angel, struggling to find words. “I _want_ you.”

            This still did not register in Michael’s mind, but only further confused the angel. Adam took a deep breath and decided to show him what he wanted if he couldn’t explain it. Without warning, Adam pressed his lips to Michael’s. The angel was surprised by the gesture at first, and it showed in his timid reciprocation. However, Michael soon relaxed and kissed him more passionately, his arms wrapping tighter around the human, pulling him so their bodies were tightly pressed against each other. Adam’s hands worked their way up and tangled in Michael’s blond hair. His tongue ran along Michael’s lower lip, requesting entrance. The angel complied with a groan and their tongues began an intricate dance.

            Adam felt himself becoming more and more aroused by their activities. The taste of Michael on his tongue was almost too much. The closeness. It was intoxicating. He couldn’t get enough of his angel. In that moment, Michael was his oxygen and Adam could not live without his touch – without his kiss. He tugged on Michael’s hair with elicited and erotic groan from the angel. Adam was definitely turned on now, his manhood standing at attention and digging into Michael’s stomach.

            The human moved back onto the bed, pulling Michael along with him. He knew that his mother was away at work, so he and Michael would have alone time for a while yet. Adam laid back on the bed, opening his legs so Michael could position himself between them. Michael eagerly followed his human, placing his hands on either side of Adam’s head, boxing him in. Adam groaned when he felt Michael’s own arousal press against him. Their lips met in a sloppy, heated kiss. Both were breathing heavily now and completely absorbed in their activity.

            Adam felt like he was going to burst. He kissed along Michael’s jawline and then down his neck. He took a moment and sucked on the angel’s neck. Michael let out another loud moan in response, which had Adam shuddering in pleasure. If Michael didn’t take him right then and there, he was afraid that his moans would make him climax in his pants.

            He broke away from the kiss and pulled his shirt over his head. Michael’s eyes widened at the sudden escalation but did not object to it. He looked at Adam, panting. It was clear that Michael’s own arousal was becoming painful with need, however, fear still lurked in the angel’s eyes. “Adam . . . are you sure?”

            “I’ve never been more sure about anything,” the human replied breathlessly.

            Michael hesitated. “I . . . I’ve never done anything like this before. I . . . I’m not experienced or anything.”

            Adam shrugged, pulling Michael close again. “I haven’t done this before either, so don’t worry. We’ll figure it out together, okay?”

            The angel bit his lip but nodded. Their lips met once more and they finally gave into their desires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, no intense smut for this fic. :)


	36. Chapter 36

            Like Michael, Cas and Gabriel both had to endure the week without their respective Winchesters. Throughout the week, Cas for one had severe Dean withdrawals. In school, he saw his human periodically, and absence of him was everywhere Cas looked. Even though Cas visited Dean daily after school, it still was not enough. If Cas had it his way, Dean would be stuck to his side like glue and they would never have to be apart. However, he knew that Dean needed to grieve on his own. His human had retreated into a very dark place where Cas couldn’t follow. All the angel could do is sit with Dean and try to console him the best he could. He told Dean about his day and did what little he could to distract him.

            The week was gruelingly long and uneventful. The only real event Cas had experienced that was worth mentioning occurred the day after John’s death. Cas sat at the lunch table Sam and Dean usually occupied. Gabriel was with him, both of them sulking and missing their humans. Cas had his head on the table, staring across the cafeteria at the spot where he used to sit. Now, Michael sat there, staring at the food on his lunch tray, his mind clearly somewhere else. Raphael, who had distanced himself from his brother since the whole Adam thing, was now sitting next to Uriel. The two angels laughed and made fun of some werewolves at the table beside them. Balthazar picked at his cuticles, disinterested by all of his siblings while Zachariah and Anna worked on homework, neither of them speaking to the other. _What happened to our little family?_ His mind wandered back to the first week of school. It was only a month ago, but it felt much longer. They had all sat together, smiling and laughing . . . all except for Michael and Lucifer. _Now Michael and Lucifer are friends again but everyone else is so divided._

            Cas buried his face in the fabric of the jacket he wore. He inhaled and smiled, savoring the sweet scent of Dean. Instead of his usual trench coat, Cas had worn Dean’s old leather jacket. Dean had given it to him after Homecoming, insisting that Cas should wear it every now and then since they were officially a couple. This was the first time Cas had worn it to school, and he had done so because he knew a day without Dean would be hard. And he was so glad he did.

            “Excuse me?”

            The raven-haired angel looked up wearily to see a blond girl standing over him. She had a pleasant face, which reminded Cas vaguely of Dean. Maybe it was the golden hair or her brownish-green eyes. “You’re Cas,” she more stated than asked. “My name’s Jo Harvelle, I’m a friend of Dean.”

            That got Cas to sit up a little straighter. He noticed that she wasn’t alone – a large, burly man stood beside her. His face was square in shape but not unattractive. He had a neatly trimmed beard and wore a navy blue cap on his head, hiding his pale brown hair. The man said nothing but studied Cas with appraising eyes. “Oh, yeah, Dean’s mentioned you . . . And I think I’ve seen you around before but we’ve never actually met.”

            Jo nodded and sat down at the table next to Cas. The man took the seat next to her, and Cas noticed that the man was watching Jo now, admiring her. “Hey, are you two going to go see Sam and Dean later?” she asked, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

            “Yes, I think so. At least, I was planning to,” Cas answered, glancing over at Gabriel. Gabriel gave him a silent nod.

            “Okay, can you please let Sam and Dean know that my mom and I feel absolutely horrible about what happened,” she told him, her voice breaking a little. “I knew John since I was a kid . . . He was like a dad to me after my dad died – he and Bobby . . . Well they were kind of the only men in my life. Just . . . let Sam and Dean know that Ellen and I are there for them if they need anything – and we mean anything.”

            Cas nodded, his heart swelling at Jo’s comment. Hopefully the support of one of Dean’s best friends would help him, wouldn’t it? “I’ll pass along the message, Jo . . . And thank you. I’m sure your words will make Dean feel a little better. I’m worried about him.”

            “I am too,” she confessed, leaning a little closer to Cas. “I . . . I’ve known Dean for a long time, Cas. And I know that this . . . this is gonna be hard on everyone. John and Sam – they were all Dean had for the majority of his life. Even if John was an asshole more often than not, Dean still loved him. I don’t . . . I don’t think Dean is going to be okay for a long time. But I’m so glad he has you, Castiel.”

            Before Cas could answer, another female came over and sat down at the Winchester table (although ironically enough, no Winchesters were present). She was a tiny thing with long, curly hair. It was the same color as the man’s, but much wilder and unruly. Her eyes were big and brown. She poked the man’s shoulder when she sat down, earning a grin from him. “Hey, sis,” the man greeted, giving her a playful nudge in return.

            “Hi, Ben.”

            “Oh, right,” Jo said, as though she had forgotten. “Castiel, this is my boyfriend, Benny Lafitte. And that is his sister, Michaela.”

            Michaela waved shyly at the angels. Benny nodded at both of them before turning his attention back to Jo. Cas smiled a little at the pair before putting his head down again. He took another whiff of the leather jacket and sighed. _Dean . . . It hasn’t even been one day and I miss you so much. I wish you were here._

            “Michaela?” Cas knew that voice. He looked up just in time to see Lucifer slide into the seat next to Benny’s younger sister. _What?_ Cas wondered, exchanging a look with an equally confused Gabriel. Both angels watched their older brother curiously as he smiled at the vampire. “Hey . . . You remember me?”

            “Satan!” the girl squealed happily. “I thought you’d forgotten about our date!”

            “DATE?!” Gabriel, Cas, and Benny all shouted simultaneously.

            Cas squinted his eyes in confusion. The idea of Lucifer _dating_ anyone for romantic reasons and not sexual ones was completely foreign to him.

            Gabriel just laughed. “Why, Luci! I didn’t think you had it in you!”

            The vampire big brother just glowered at the Devil with furious eyes. “What do you mean, _date?!_ ” he snarled. He leaned closer to Lucifer, his hands balled into fists. “Who do you think you are talking to _my little sister_? You’re the fucking Devil!”

            Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. A look of confusion passed over his face, as though he had forgotten that he was, in fact, Satan. Lucifer struggled to find an answer or a witty comeback but failed. “I . . . uh . . .”

            Michaela rounded on her brother. “Benny, leave my boyfriend alone!” she hissed.

            “ _Boyfriend?!_ ” Lucifer and Benny both spluttered.

            “If I like Lucifer, then I like him! Not to mention he is the first guy in this stupid school to even _look_ at me, let alone speak to me for more than five seconds,” she said angrily. “So leave him alone or I will cut you, Ben!”

            Lucifer just stared at her with wide eyes, but Cas saw something else in them as well. There a glimmer of something in Lucifer’s gray eyes that Cas had never seen before . . . it was . . . warm . . . like Lucifer actually felt . . . _affection._ But that couldn’t be. Lucifer was Lucifer. He was the Devil. Satan. The evilest evil that’s ever eviled. “I . . . I sh . . . You . . .” Lucifer’s incoherent rambling was abruptly cut off as Michaela put a finger to his lips, which made him stiffen at the physical contact.

            “Satan, you talk too much.”

            Lucifer just stared at the vampire before his lips curled up into a smile. Michaela removed her finger and then pulled out her sketchbook. “You said you wanted to see more art right?” she asked quietly before opening up to one of the pages.

            Benny, grudgingly, was coaxed back to Jo. The human kissed her boyfriend and succeeded in distracting him from his sister and Satan with soft words. Meanwhile, Cas watched as Lucifer slid even closer to Michaela, looking back between the sketchbook and the little artist. Cas didn’t miss the soft look of admiration in his eyes. Soon, Lucifer wasn’t even looking at the art anymore, but was staring at the girl with a distant and dreamy expression. Michaela talked softly about the image on the page, not noticing that Lucifer was completely and utterly absorbed in her.

            Gabriel nudged Cas under the table, getting his attention. The younger brother leaned over so Gabe could whisper in his ear. “That’s terrifying.”

            “What is?” Cas asked at the same volume, looking at Gabriel curiously.

            “ _That,_ ” the archangel hissed, jerking his head toward Lucifer who continued to admire the vampire before him. “Satan is in love. If that’s not shit-your-pants-scary than I don’t know what is.”


	37. Chapter 37

            Dean was not in a good place. Days came. Days went. He didn’t know the difference. He kept the blinds in his room at Bobby’s house closed, blocking out all natural light. More often than not, he didn’t know if it was night or day outside. He didn’t leave his room; the only one he saw was Bobby when the old hunter came up and gave him food, sometimes yelling at him until Dean ate. Cas visited throughout the week, or at least that was what Bobby had said. Bobby was the only one allowed in Dean’s room – even Sam was forbidden to enter. Dean didn’t want Sammy to see him like this . . . and he sure as hell didn’t want Cas to.

            In truth, Dean Winchester wanted nothing more than to tell Bobby to send Cas up to his room. He wanted to pull his angel into a hug and never let him go. He wanted to break down and sob into Cas’s chest as the angel held him tightly and sang their song. _I can’t help falling in love with you._ The words repeated in Dean’s head – the night of Homecoming, the dance, the kiss in the Impala. It was all so surreal – like a dream. He had a hard time believing it had even happened. How could something so perfect and pure take place in a world as cruel and demented as this? John was dead. His father was dead. How could he think about being happy with Cas? He didn’t deserve to feel the happiness and the relief that struck him whenever he looked into Cas’s crystalline eyes.

            Even though Dean knew that it wasn’t his fault – that deep down it was going to happen anyway – he still felt like he should have stopped it. _If I had gotten my shit together and killed Lilith at Homecoming._

_If I had been a better hunter . . ._

_If I had protected my family like dad always told me . . ._

_If . . . If . . ._

            These thoughts swarmed his head, torturing him all week. However, on Friday, Dean decided it was time to do something other than sit in his room and feel sorry for himself. _Stop being a bitch, Winchester,_ Dean thought darkly. That morning, he ventured out of his bedroom. He went downstairs to find Bobby sitting at the kitchen table. He looked tired; there were bags under his eyes and his beard getting scraggly and unruly. Dean watched from the doorway as Bobby poured whiskey into his coffee. He gulped it down then, not pausing once to take a breath.

            “Bobby?” Dean called, clearing his throat.

            The old under put down his cup swiftly, coughing. “Dean,” he stated, looking at the boy. Dean thought he saw Bobby’s eyes glisten with tears for a moment Bobby got up and embraced him, wrapping Dean up in a tight bear-hug. “Good to have you back, boy.”

            Dean didn’t reply to that. “Where’s Sam?”

            Bobby nodded toward the stairs. “Up in his room, I think. He doesn’t come down until noon, usually.”

            “Well, I’m gonna go weak his ass up,” Dean said, forcing a smile.

He swore he saw tears in Bobby’s eyes again, but didn’t dwell on it. Dean went upstairs to Sam’s room and knocked on the closed door. When there was no response from within, Dean threw open the door with a bang. “Rise and shine, Sammy!”

            The younger Winchester leapt up in his bed. His fists were wildly swinging and his chest was heaving. Sam looked around, alarmed, before his eyes settled on his brother. “Dean?” His hazel eyes were wide with confusion. “What? Is something wrong?”

            “No,” Dean answered. “Just wanted to wake you up.” He went over and sat on the bed beside him. His smile that had been plastered on his face died. Dean sighed and looked at Sam seriously. “How are you?”

            Sam sighed, shrugging. “I’m . . . okay. I . . . I guess it just hasn’t really hit me yet. It . . . just . . . sucks.”

            “Yeah, it does,” Dean agreed. “I’ve been . . . wrecked. Still am.”

            “Gabriel has helped me a lot,” Sam murmured. “I think that he’s . . . been what is making me okay. Maybe . . . Maybe you should let Cas in and let him help.”

            Dean nodded, knowing he was right. “I plan to today,” he admitted. “I figured . . . maybe I’d take him on a walk through the junkyard, romantic, right?”

            Sam smiled a little. “Yeah, Dean . . . I’m sure Cas will love it.”

            The older Winchester forced another small smile. He placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be alright, Sammy.”

            Sam smiled back weakly. There was a look in his eye, as if he knew that Dean was saying it more for his own sake than Sam’s. “I know, Dean.”

            Before Sam knew what was happening, Dean had reached up and was mussing his hair. “Dean!” he hissed, batting his older brother away. “Leave my hair alone!” Dean chuckled, but obeyed, removing his hand from Sam’s luscious locks. Sam pouted as he struggled to smooth his now messy hair. “Jerk,” he grumbled.

            “Bitch,” Dean replied with a grin. This time, the smile he gave was genuine, not one he had to force for Sam’s sake.

 

 

            The brothers went downstairs to Bobby cooking breakfast. Pans were clattering as the old hunter cooked scrambled eggs. Dean smelled the faint aroma of burnt toast and smiled a little. He found that being around Sam and Bobby helped dull the pain in his chest. _With Cas, maybe I can get through this,_ he thought as he sat down at the kitchen table. Both boys thanked Bobby profusely for feeding them, but Bobby waved them off. He looked like he was just happy that they were both up and out and about.

            Later that afternoon, Dean was sitting in the living room watching cartoons. It wasn’t his first choice, but it was better than the Hallmark channel. He was halfway through an episode of _Looney Tunes_ when he heard the flutter of wings behind him. Dean turned to see Cas and Gabriel standing just behind the couch. He didn’t miss how his angel’s eyes lit up when he saw Dean sitting there. “Dean!” His deep voice seemed to purr with delight.

            The joy on his angel’s face was enough to make Dean crack another genuine smile. “Hey, Cas,” greeted, standing up. Cas hurdled the couch and leaped into Dean’s arms. Dean almost dropped him, not expecting him to suddenly jump at him. The human held his angel bridal style for a few moments, cherishing the closeness, before putting him down on the floor beside him. “I was thinking you and I could go for a walk,” he murmured almost shyly. _Why would Cas want to do anything with you after the way you’ve been this past week. You wouldn’t even say hello to him when he came to visit you every single day. You ass._

            If Cas remembered and was truly hurt by the way Dean had treated him, he didn’t show it. His eyes lit up at the suggestion of a walk and took Dean’s hand in his own. “That’s sounds amazing. Where are we going?”

            The angel and the hunter walked around Bobby’s junkyard, their hands entwined. Cas prattled on about everything that had gone on at school that Dean missed. He mentioned that he had met Jo and Benny and saw Lucifer fall in love with a vampire. Cas, so eager and happy to be with Dean again, spoke very quickly, making it hard for the human to keep up with everything he said.

            Dean led Cas too one the nicer cars that Bobby had lying around. It had been turned in recently and the interior was not terrible inside. It was an older car, but Dean couldn’t tell what year. It was big and its backseat was large enough for both of them to comfortably lay down, even if they were pressed tightly against each other. The pair did just that, Cas lying on his back and Dean snuggling up against his side. In that moment, Dean wanted nothing more than for his angel to hold him. The cold hardness he had felt since his father’s death melted at the angel’s touch. He felt a small bead of warmth inside him, and the longer Cas held onto him, the larger it grew.

            “Cas,” he whispered in a soft voice. “I love you.”

            The angel held on even tighter then, his fingers running through Dean’s hair. “I love you too, Dean.”

            His voice failed him for a few moments as he was struck with emotion. “Cas . . . I’m so sorry. I should have let you in . . . You didn’t deserve to be shut out like that.”

            “Shh,” Cas murmured, his lips pressing to Dean’s forehead. “You were grieving, Dean. I understand. If I lost one of my older brothers – like Gabriel, who basically raised me – I would be devastated too. Don’t ever apologize for your feelings, Dean.”

            Dean sniffed once, his vision blurring with tears. He shifted closer so his lips were pressed against Cas’s neck, and his head was perfectly nestled in the crook of his angel’s neck. “Cas, can you promise me something?”

            “Anything, Dean.”

            Dean bit his lip. “Don’t leave me.”

            Cas immediately shook his head. “Never, Dean. I’m your guardian angel. My entire life purpose is to watch over you and help you with whatever you need. You’re _my_ human, Dean Winchester. Even if you ever decide you’ve fallen out of love with me and would rather be with another human or just someone else in general, I will still love you. I will always be here if you need me, whether you need me to be your lover, your boyfriend, your friend, your partner in crime, your brother in battle, your partner, and if someday you wish, I will even be your husband. Nothing will ever change or alter my feelings for you. That you can be certain of.”

            The words caused the tears brimming in Dean’s eyes to fall. He let out a small whimper before nuzzling Cas closer. _What did I do to deserve him?_ Dean wondered. He found that he wondered that a lot lately. The closer he got to his angel, the more and more he loved him. _I don’t deserve him._

            Cas let Dean cry. He rubbed his back and gave him soft, loving kisses occasionally. He whispered soft, sweet words to him, trying to soothe him. Slowly but surely, Cas stitched up the invisible wounds that John had left behind. Dean stopped crying and just lounged with Cas in the back of the car as his angel made him feel whole again.


	38. Chapter 38

            The weekend passed entirely too quickly. Gabriel and Cas seldom left Bobby’s house, although the old hunter did grumble an awful lot about “stupid angels.” When Monday finally came around, Sam got up early and got ready for school. He knew that the sooner he and Dean went back to everyday life, the better. School went by with normalcy. Sam got swept back up into the usual, dull routine. He functioned like a robot all day except when Dean, Gabriel, or Cas were around. Then he put on a smile and tried to show that he was okay. For a while, he began to believe it. That was until they had to part ways. When his friend, angel, and brother were gone, Sam was a different person, just going through the daily motions.

            When sixth period English came around, Sam sat in his seat and stared at the board all period while Mr. Shurley gave a lecture. When the bell rang, signifying the end of class, Sam stood up, ready to plod on to the final period of the day. “Uh, Sam?” Mr. Shurley’s voice caught his attention before he could leave the room.

            Sam turned and looked at his English teacher. The curly-haired, bearded man sat as his desk looking more than a little uneasy. He wore a loose-fitting flannel, jeans, and a pair of moccasins that looked like they were three sizes too big for his feet. “Sam . . . if you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with you. It’s my planning period, and I’ll write you a pass. I just . . . I feel like we should talk.”

            His words took the young Winchester by surprise. He glanced out into the hall where students were hurrying past to seventh period. A part of him wanted to rush out and join them, but he could hardly refuse his English teacher. “Okay,” he mumbled, going over to Mr. Shurley’s desk.

            The English teacher smiled, seemingly relieved that Sam had agreed so easily. “Here, sit,” Mr. Shurley said, motioning the desk across from his. Sam sat down and noticed that there was an almost panicked look in the teacher eyes. When Sam sat down, however, it disappeared. It was as though the man suddenly realized that whatever he was worried about could wait and, right now, Sam was important. “Sam,” he said in shaky voice. “First of all, I want to offer my condolences for your father.”

            Sam winced a little. “Oh, thanks.”

            “And I just wanted to let you know . . .” he paused, looking around briefly before sighing. “I know about Lilith . . . And I know that she is not working alone, either. Look, being a teacher and being around these little creatures all day, I hear things. Lilith has friends – powerful friends in high places, don’t be mistaken. Look, the road ahead, it’s not going to be easy. Trust me, I’ve seen what awaits you. But I _know_ that you and Dean will do just fine.”

            His words only served to confuse Sam even more. _He’s seen what’s gonna happen? What the heck?_ “Mr. Shurley?” was all Sam could get out, too confounded by everything that had just been said.

            Chuck Shurley rested his hand on Sam’s shoulder. Before Sam could ask what was going on, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of relief. He had no idea why, but looking at his English teacher, he felt like everything was going to be okay. _“I know that you and Dean will do just fine.”_ Mr. Shurley smiled a little as Sam relaxed, and let his hand fall to his side. “That’s all I wanted to tell you,” he said. “Here, I’ll write you a pass for seventh period.”

 

            When the day was over, Sam went back down to Mr. Shurley’s room. His mind had been buzzing with questions. The calm, soothing feeling that he had felt earlier had evaporated and now he was buzzing with questions. Who were Lilith’s friends? What were they planning? How much did Mr. Shurley really know and what wasn’t he telling Sam? He was ready with all these questions and more when he got to the classroom. When he walked inside, however, it was completely empty. Sam waited for a good five minutes. Maybe Mr. Shurley had just walked out of the room to make copies of something and would be back. Still he didn’t show up.

            Sam waited until he heard Dean’s voice calling for him in the hallway. Almost all the other students had left, but Sam was now feeling concerned. Did something happen to Mr. Shurley after he told Sam some of what he knew?

            “Sammy!” Dean’s voice came from the doorway. When he saw his little brother in the English room, he stepped inside. “Sam, what the hell? I’ve been looking for you for ten minutes!”

            “Dean, I think something may have happened to Mr. Shurley,” Sam confessed, going over to his brother’s side.

            Dean arched an eyebrow. “What? What do you mean?”

            Sam told him everything that happened not even an hour ago. His brother listened with a thoughtful expression, and put his arm around Sam’s shoulders when he was finished. “Sammy, don’t worry about it, okay? Mr. Shurley probably just had to leave early. He’ll be here tomorrow. Now, come on, let’s go.”

            “Dean,” Sam complained, but didn’t fight as his brother led him out of the room. He sent up a silent prayer to Gabriel, asking the angel to check on the eccentric English teacher just so Sam could rest easy.

            The brothers went back to Bobby’s, and Sam heard nothing from Gabriel until that evening. The angels had not come over directly after school as usual, which was cause for concern. When Cas and Gabriel did arrive at Bobby’s house at around seven-thirty that evening, both Winchester brothers went to their angels. The first thing Sam noticed was Gabriel’s disturbed expression. His brow was knit together in worry and his lips pursed. “Gabe?” Sam asked when he approached. He took is boyfriend’s hand nervously. “Is everything okay?”

            Gabriel let out a sharp breath. “I went to look for Mr. Shurley, like you asked. Cas came with me and so did our sister, Hannah. We couldn’t find Mr. Shurley at the school, so we went to his apartment in town. The place looked like it hadn’t been used in weeks. It was all messy with dirty clothes and papers everywhere. But . . . the weirdest thing was . . .” The archangel paused, as though he were debating how much to say.

            Dean was now fully interested in the fate of Chuck Shurley. He observed the angels warily. “Well?” he snapped at Gabriel. “Get on with it.”

            “On his computer we found . . . well . . . The best way to explain it would be to show you. Sam, can you get your laptop?” Gabriel asked. Sam nodded, obeying Gabriel’s wish. He returned not a minute later with his laptop.

            Gabriel opened the computer and inserted a flash-drive. Sam watched as Gabriel searched through the files and pulled up one simply entitled “Supernatural High.” The first page had the title on it, but when Gabriel scrolled down, Sam saw a heading that read Chapter 1. The first passage read:

            “Cas followed his brothers and sisters as they filed into the front doors of the school. No matter how hard he tried, he could not suppress the feelings of anxiety that were beginning to rise up inside him. He had lived a relatively happy and safe life for a long time, but now he had to venture out into a different world – a crueler world. Out here, the comforting walls of Heaven could not protect him. He felt almost exposed as he walked crossed the threshold into the building where he would be spending the majority of the next four years of his life. He knew that his brothers and sisters were all around him, but that didn’t change the fact that they were not only going to a school with other supernatural beings, but demons.”

            Sam stared at the first paragraph with confusion. “Wait . . . why would Mr. Shurley be writing about Cas?”

            “It wasn’t just him,” Gabriel said quietly. He scrolled down to the second chapter. This one was about Dean. Sam watched his brother’s face while he read. At first, Dean looked purely confused, then it turned into anger, then something like astonishment.

            “That . . . was exactly what I was thinking the first day of school . . . But . . . How did . . . ?”

            “We think Mr. Shurley was a prophet,” Gabriel explained.

            “A prophet?” Sam repeated. “What’s that?”

            “It would explain the writing,” Cas agreed. “A prophet is a human . . . but he or she is . . . chosen by God. They see things . . . important things before they happen. And they can hear the angels talk.”

            “Well, we can hear angels talk too,” Dean pointed out, his brow furrowing.

            “No, in our real voices,” Gabriel clarified. “They can hear . . . Angel Radio, I guess is what you could call it. It’s like an open channel – all the angels can hear it. So can prophets. They learn all of the juicy details that normal humans don’t know.”

            Sam frowned. If Mr. Shurley was a prophet, then that meant that he saw the future. He knew everything that would happen with Lilith, didn’t he? “Do you think something happened to him? I mean . . . he warned me that Lilith had powerful friends and then . . . then he just disappeared. Do you think Lilith sent someone after him?”

            “It’s possible,” Gabriel stated. “But there is a problem with the prophet theory. If he was a prophet, the angels should have known – the archangels in particular should have sensed it. When a prophet is in the presence of a demon – whether its someone powerful like Lilith, or a weak little crossroads demon – an archangel is alerted. Michael or Raphael would have been called to protect him. And no one ever was alerted – and Mr. Shurley had demons around him every day.”

            His words formed a pit in Sam’s stomach. He couldn’t help but feel like Mr. Shurley’s disappearance may have had something to do with what he told Sam. _Why had he told me? Why did he put himself on the line just to warn me?_

            “Gabriel, can you call your brothers?” Dean asked. His face had grown noticeably dark as he listened. Now he stared at the computer screen, his green eyes flashing briefly toward the archangel. “I think it’s time we talk about hunting.”


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this chapter being short. The next chapter is short too, but they're both coming out at the same time to make up for it. :)

            Lucifer showed up at Bobby Singer’s house with a scowl plastered on his face. Although he knew that it was imperative he was a this little meeting the older Winchester organized, the Winchester’s dwelling was the last place on Earth he wanted to be. The only consolation was that his brothers would be there—Michael included—and he might get closer to taking care of Lilith so he could move on, never worrying about the bitch ever again.

            He walked through the junkyard toward Bobby Singer’s house, grumbling under his breath about stupid Winchesters. He wore a pair of faded blue jeans and a pale brown shirt beneath and unbuttoned flannel. When he reached the door, he let himself in, not expecting to be doused by a cup of holy water. Satan jumped at the sudden attack, closing his eyes. When he realized that it was holy water, he pursed his lips into a thin line, keeping his eyes shut. “You know, just because I’m the Devil doesn’t mean holy water works on me,” he said, his voice sharp with aggravation. He opened his eyes then, water dripping from his face down onto his shirt. An older man with a blue baseball cap stared at him for a moment before clearing his throat.

            “Well, you can’t be too sure,” he muttered before putting down the flask that Lucifer suspected had the holy water in it. “Knock next time, okay?” he suggested, going over to the kitchen counter. He returned with a clean rag, which he promptly handed to Lucifer.

            Lucifer took it, kind of taken aback by the gesture. He wiped the water from his face before giving it back. Wasn’t this guy afraid of him? Even after Lucifer called himself _Satan_? “Uh . . . thanks . . . ?” Lucifer said awkwardly. Showing gratitude was something he rarely did. _If I am going to get back into my brothers’ good graces, I should probably start_ trying _to be nicer._

            “The boys are in the livin’ room,” Bobby said, motioning toward a hallway that branched off from the entryway. Lucifer followed it into a large rectangular room with a few couches. The walls were lined with bookshelves, which made it look more like a sophisticated library than a living room. Most of the usual “gang” was there. Sam, Dean, Castiel, Gabriel, Crowley, Jo Harvelle, Benny Lafitte, and Michaela Lafitte were all gathered around. Sam and Gabriel shared a loveseat across from the entrance. Their hands were locked together and they both looked up when Lucifer entered. Jo and Benny were on another couch, the vampire’s arm wrapped around the petite blond. Michaela sat next to her brother, her arms folded across her chest and looking positively bored. However, when she saw Lucifer, her brown eyes lit up a little and she rose to her feet.

            Lucifer could not suppress the butterflies that began to flutter around in his belly. He strode across the room toward her. He didn’t even realize he was grinning until he was right next to her. Suddenly, coming to the Winchester’s didn’t seem like such a bad thing.

            “Okay,” Sam said, loud enough for all to hear. “Now all we’re waiting on is Michael and Adam.”

            Dean, who was leaning against the wall, glared at the ground. “Yeah, and where are they? Didn’t you tell them this was urgent?” Lucifer was slightly taken aback by the venom in Dean’s voice – he never thought he’d hear the older Winchester speak to his little brother in such a tone. Lucifer just kind of raised his eyebrows before looking back to the vampire beside him.

            Michaela looked between the two brothers, then up at Lucifer. “Hi, Luci.”

            The nickname made his grin widen. “Hi, Michaela.”

            He heard the sigh of pure exasperation and irritation come from Crowley’s direction. “Can we just start without them? I’d rather not watch Satan and his new girlfriend drool over each other. I’ve already thrown up a little bit in my mouth. I mean, why are the vampires even here? This doesn’t concern them.”

            “Um, we live on the Earth too, buddy,” Benny pointed out. He moved his arm so it was no longer around Jo. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and staring at the demon intently. “If Lilith and those other demons are gonna try to destroy it, don’t ya think that it might be a good idea for us to help out? I dunno why you’re complainin’ – we’re givin’ you an extra hand.”

            Michaela nodded in agreement with her brother’s statement. “Benny and I have just as much a right to be here as you do. And if you have a problem with that, Crowley, I will be glad to rip that stick out of your ass and use it to chop off your balls and feed them to you, you little insect.” Her eyes were hard now as she stared down the King of Hell. “You throw your weight around like you actually mean something – you mean nothing, Crowley. Lucifer is the real King of Hell, not you, you poser.”

            No one said a word.

            It was so silent you could hear a pin drop in that room. Even Dean looked positively astonished by her comments. Lucifer just stared at her, suddenly aware of the tent that was forming in his trousers – he’d never met a girl that turned him on as much as she did. Not only was she hot as hell, but she also wasn’t afraid to put someone in their place. Lucifer always did like a woman who took control.

            Awkward silence settled over the group as Lucifer struggled to keep his new hard on under control. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a flutter of wings signified the arrival of Adam and Michael. The first thing Lucifer noticed about the pair was the painfully obvious sex hair that both men sported. Adam sniffed once and ran a hand through his hair, as if in a futile attempt to smooth it. Michael looked a little sweaty and didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

            _’Bout damn time,_ Lucifer thought smugly. His big brother had always practiced celibacy, but not anymore. The idea made Lucifer grin from ear to ear. Lucifer walked over to his brother, albeit a little stiffly due to _issue_ and patted Michael on the back. “Sinner,” he teased quietly before leaning against the wall.

            “Well,” Dean said, clearing his throat. He stepped into the middle of the room and looked around. The human looked a little awkward considering the tent in Lucifer’s pants as well as the obvious fact that Michael and Adam had probably just been fucking like wild animals not even five minutes ago. However, he tried to ignore the two elephants in the room and called the meeting to order. “Lady, gentleman, angels, vampires, demon,” Dean addressed them, looking around at the little rag-tag team assembled. “I think it’s time we do something about our little Lilith problem, don’t you?”

            “Considering that most of hell is on her side, yes,” Crowley replied. “I’m losing support in hell. They… like what Lilith’s doing and pretty soon I will have little to no leverage in the demon world.”

            “What about me?” Lucifer inquired. “Do you think I’ll have any that will stand with me if I call them up? I mean, I _did_ create them.” He could feel the burning gaze of Michael on him, but ignored it. He needed to know – if he could get the demons to rally behind him, taking down Lilith might be significantly easier.

            Crowley sighed. “Maybe, but it is… unlikely. Since you’ve… returned to the light side and all, turned over a new leaf, been forgiven by God – lots of the demons kinda feel betrayed. We all know you don’t _like_ us, you just used us to try to take over heaven. Some of them might answer you out of sheer loyalty because they feel like they owe you for their creation, but a lot of them won’t. They’ll be all too eager to stand behind Lilith and take you down.”

            Lucifer, although unnerved by this news, forced himself to smirk. “I’d like to see them try.”


	40. Chapter 40

            Dean brought out all of his father’s journals and notes on Lilith. He had spent the past few days rummaging through them, trying to find any useful information. By the look of the material on the table, he had certainly found a good deal of it, or at least Adam thought so.

            Adam was trying to keep his breathing steady. As much as he tried to focus on Dean’s words, his mind kept drifting back to his time with Michael not even ten minutes ago. His body was still reeling from the encounter . . . but he liked it. Adam felt like he was high – soaring far above the clouds with Michael at his side. Nothing compared to that overwhelming sense of euphoria. His mind began to wander off to other places, focusing on his recent memories. The feeling of Michael’s lips . . . everywhere. The sensations from Michael’s hands as they roamed over his body. The mere anticipation of it all. As he remembered all those mind-blowing emotions and sensations, Adam felt himself begin to get aroused again. Quickly, he tried to block out all those thoughts. Instead, he focused on what Dean was saying, although he was at a loss as to what his half-brother was actually saying.

            “If we can find a way to track Lilith down, we might stand a better chance at defeating her. Once we get her out of the way, it might be easier for us to handle the . . . other demons that follow her, which Crowley has alerted us to,” Dean explained. “But finding her is no easy task . . . Which is why we need someone strong, capable, and preferably with angel mojo to do the job.”

            Adam began to realize what was going on. This was their war meeting, and he was a member of the council. Dean stood in front of the assembled humans, angels, demons, and monsters like a general. His hands were behind his back and he had this dark, haunted look in his eyes that made Adam shudder. One thing he was certain of in that moment: Dean Winchester was not okay.

            “I’ll do it,” Adam was taken by surprise as Lucifer stood up from his seat on the couch next to that freaky vampire chick. He looked Dean right in the eye before nodding. “I can find her… might take a while, but I’m sure I can get around any masking spell she has.”

            “Unless she warded herself,” Michael offered. “If she warded herself, then no angel will ever find her. She’ll be invisible to us.”

            “How could she ward herself?” Sam inquired, looking between the two archangels curiously.

            “Well, she could just carve stuff into her skin, the usual warding symbols. She still may have done that . . . or, she could go the . . . the much more fool-proof route – carve Enochian symbols on her vessel’s bones,” Michael explained. “Neither are pleasant to perform, but they’ll work against us.”

            “We may not have to rely on the unlikely chance that she was stupid enough to not take such precautions,” Crowley interrupted. “I know Lilith – I know what she can do. She’d suffer through the pain willingly if it meant giving her that kind of advantage. I’ve been . . . let’s say hatching my own little scheme while you bozos were gallivanting with angels and vampires. I’ve found a friend of hers – a lieutenant. There are still a few demons that’ll help me – the numbers are small but effective to some extent. They’ve managed to track down one of her partners in this charade.”

            “Do you have them secured?” Dean asked, turning to face the demon that, just a month ago, he would have willingly ganked. Now, he was placing his trust in him. _Funny how things work out,_ Adam thought. He shot a glance at Michael and felt himself smile. A month ago, he doubted Michael would have even agreed to show up to this powwow. Yet, here he was.

            Crowley nodded. “Yes. It would probably be best if we interrogated them right after this little get-together. We don’t want to wait too long in case Lilith decides that she wants to try to rescue them.”

            Dean nodded. “That would . . . probably be best. I’m goin’ with you.”

            The demon smirked a little. “I didn’t expect any different.”

            Adam saw Castiel stiffen across the room. The angel was wearing a disapproving glare at the exchange between his boyfriend and the King of Hell. “As am I,” he stated firmly. He walked over and linked his hand with Dean’s. “I’m not letting you walk into hell by yourself.”

            “Hey, I’m going with you guys,” Lucifer interjected. “Been too long since I’ve tortured anyone. I want in.” He shot a glance at that freaky vampire chick on the couch. “You comin’ Michaela?”

            The vampire nodded and hopped to her feet. As she took her place by Lucifer’s side, Adam looked up at Michael. “What should we do?”

            Michael looked at the team of torturers and sighed. “I should probably stay back here to make sure nothing happens . . . Gabriel,” he called for his brother. The significantly smaller angel looked at his brother expectantly from across the room. “Why don’t we put some wards on this house to keep Lilith out while Lucifer and the others are doing that?”

            The other archangel nodded. “Yeah, that’ll work.” Adam watched as Gabriel pressed a kiss to Sam’s cheek before heading off into Bobby’s kitchen to look for some of the materials he and Michael would need.

            “Benny and I are gonna head to the library,” Jo announced. “We’re gonna see if we can dig up anything there are on Lilith.”

            “No need,” a new voice stepped in. Adam turned to see Bobby Singer leaning against the doorway of the kitchen. “I got a whole damn archive just down the hall. Help yourselves.”

            “Okay,” Dean said, clapping his hands together. His voice sounded significantly lighter, but Adam didn’t miss the darkness in his eyes. He was still far away from being okay with the recent events. “We all have things to do, yeah? So get on them.”

            Lucifer snapped his fingers and the entire crew that was heading to hell disappeared. Now that Bobby’s small living room was less crowded, Adam let out a sigh of relief. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and looked up to see Michael. “I’m gonna be outside with Gabriel putting wards in place, alright? You need me, you know how to get my attention.”

            Adam nodded. He leaned into Michael’s strong body a little bit and inhaled his scent. It soothed his nerves and helped Adam smile. “I know.”

            Michael kissed his forehead before disappearing with a flutter of wings. Jo and Benny had left moments before to head to Bobby’s extensive library, leaving Sam and Adam alone together. Sam strode across the room quickly and grabbed Adam’s hand. “C’mon,” he whispered, tugging him toward the stairs. Adam followed, albeit warily.

            “Sam, what’s—”

            “Shh,” the taller boy hissed. When they reached the top of the stairs, Sam turned to look at his half-brother. “I know someone who can help us, okay? But you can’t tell anyone – not Michael, not Dean, and definitely not Gabriel.”

            Adam was confused. His brow furrowed. “Sam, what’s going on?”

            The boy didn’t answer, but instead pulled Adam toward his room. The two boys entered the room, which was dark. Adam felt around blindly for a light switch. Flipping it on, he came face-to-face with a girl with black eyes. Adam nearly jumped out of his skin and was just about to call for Michael when he realized who it was.

            “ _Ruby?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks so much for the patience with this fanfic. Honestly, I have been planning it out far in advance. Like I wrote the plans for this chapter probably a little less than a year ago to be honest. I have up to Chapter 53 planned actually. So... yeah. C: 
> 
> I don't know when this fic will be finished. But my goal from here on out is to update at least once a week. :)


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while for several reasons. 
> 
> A.) I graduated and I had to organize my graduation party by myself which took forever.
> 
> B.) I went to my college orientation and had to stay there, and I've been busy doing adult stuff like banking and working and I do not like it one bit lol.
> 
> C.) This chapter had a single prompt in my plans. It was like a sentence. Usually, I plan my chapters out in much more detail... but for whatever reason, past me decided that a sentence was all that future me would need to write this chapter... It was a lot harder than that. I hope it turned out okay.

            Cas had never been to hell before this point in his long, long life. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. He expected more so along the lines of dungeons, various torture chambers, fires, pits, screaming, wailing . . . but it was actually more along the lines of offices, kinda like Wall Street. At least, that was what the upper levels were like. The farther down into the depths they got, the more dungeons and cells Cas saw. He stuck close to Dean, just as a precaution. The last thing Cas wanted was to see his human get hurt on _his_ watch.

            “You know,” Lucifer commented as they walked through a rather narrow hall lined with cell doors. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

            Crowley slowed down a little and glanced over his shoulder at Satan. “Thank you… I guess.”

            As they proceeded down the hall lined with cells, Cas felt like his grace was being ripped apart. The souls around him were dim—weakened from years and years of rigorous torture. They screamed and wailed as the group of demons, angels, humans, and a vampire passed. Castiel noticed that he seemed to be the only one bothered by the prisoners. Dean, while he remained close to Cas, looked straight ahead. His jaw face was taught and he looked like he was trying to ignore them until they got to the demon Crowley had captured. Lucifer looked perfectly at ease in what had once been his home… or maybe prison was the right word. Either way, Cas didn’t doubt that his older brother was used to the screams. The little vampire that was with him had a smile on her face. The sound of the souls must have sounded like music to her the way she bounced along happily next to Satan. Crowley’s expression was one Cas couldn’t see since the demon was at the head of their rag-tag team. However, Cas was fairly certain that the King of Hell couldn’t have cared less.

            Some of the souls began to reach out toward the group the farther down the hall they went. Cas felt himself stiffen and edged closer to Dean. They knew that the souls could see his and Dean’s light—even Lucifer’s. They were drawn to it and wanted to latch onto something that wasn’t dark and dismal like everything else in this tepid landscape.

            “How much farther?” Dean called out to Crowley, who was still leading the pack.

            The crossroads demon came to an abrupt halt and turned to face Dean. “Quite a bit. Hell is rather large and expansive, you know—not a lot of souls find their way to heaven these days when the reapers collect them.”

            His words made Cas shudder a little. The very idea of that unnerved him. Humans were such beautiful creations, but God just had to include that free will package. They drew their own conclusions… and, based on some beliefs, Lucifer was responsible for putting the darkness in them. He corrupted humanity and planted that seed of evil inside their hearts. Some knew it was there and they did everything they could to keep the weed from growing, or at the very least keep it small. Others let it grow and prosper—they let it spread until it covered everything inside them and suffocated all the good that was left.

            Cas looked over at Dean. He knew that the darkness inside Dean was growing rapidly, and it made him anxious. He wasn’t going to let Dean get lost in his darkness—he knew that much. _The sooner we get out of this place, the better._

            “I was just asking,” Dean said defensively.

            For a moment, Cas was confused, then he realized that the conversation had never really ended. He shook his head a little, scolding himself for getting lost in his own thoughts. _What if something had happened to Dean while you were musing about life and death and Heaven and Hell?_

            Dean stepped away from Cas, trying to get around Lucifer and his new vampire girlfriend. By doing so, he stepped dangerously close to the cells. Cas opened his mouth to warn him, but words failed him as one of the souls latched onto Dean’s wrist.

            What happened next passed in a blur—only a few seconds—but to Cas, it felt like an eternity. He was running toward Dean, but it felt like his legs were stone. It took so much effort just to take a few steps and nothing he could do was fast enough. He heard Dean shouting something incoherent as the human tried to yank his hand away and simultaneously beat the shit out of the spirit. When Cas did reach him, the first thing he did was put his hand on Dean’s shoulder—just being able to touch the human made him calm down significantly. _Dean’s right here. Dean’s okay._ _He’s okay. He’s safe._

            Cas then turned his attention to the soul. Any pity he had for the poor creature was gone the moment it laid a hand on Dean. Dean was _his_ , no one else’s. Anyone who would try to take Dean from him would meet an unpleasant fate. “No one touches Dean,” he growled under his breath before reaching through the cell bars. He put his other hand directly onto the soul itself, the other still resting on Dean. Cas concentrated all his energy into that moment—his eyes glowed with grace and two shadowy wings unfolded from his back. The soul was destroyed in a vibrant flash of light, the force of which sent both Dean and Cas staggering backward from the cell.

            The three other members of the party looked on. Michaela the vampire’s eyes were wide with interest, but her satanic companion seemed bored. “Are you two done?” he said, almost tiredly. Crowley watched with narrowed eyes, focused on Dean.

            Cas stood up to his full height and put his hands on Dean’s shoulders. He looked him up and down, trying to assess his human and make sure that he was indeed alright. “Jesus, Cas,” Dean breathed after a few moments. The human’s green eyes were the brightest they had been in a while, and a smile played at his lips. “That was… really hot.”

            Lucifer groaned. “Can you not? I’d like to keep my lunch down.”

            The angel found himself blushing. “Are you okay Dean?” he inquired softly.

            Dean nodded. “Yeah, I think so… Are you okay?”

            Cas chuckled. “Of course. I’m a lot more resilient than you are.”

            Rolling his eyes, Dean’s hand went to the shoulder Cas had been gripping when he smote the soul. Cas’s eyes narrowed. “Did I hurt you?” he demanded. His voice was strained and he began to panic—what if he had hurt Dean in the process? _I’ll never forgive myself if I hurt Dean…_

            Dean didn’t answer, but instead slipped off his leather jacket. That left him in a V-necked navy-blue t-shirt. He rolled up the sleeve on the shoulder in question to expose a bright red, angry-looking handprint.            

            “Well,” Lucifer said, observing the mark. “Looks like Cassie called dibs once and for all.”

            Cas felt sick as he looked at the handprint. “I… I’m so sorry, Dean.”

            He quickly shook his head. “N-no, Cas,” Dean quickly tried to amend. “It doesn’t hurt at all! It’s just kinda… pulsing, but it doesn’t hurt… In fact, it’s kinda cool.”

            That made Cas arch an eyebrow. “Cool? I just marked you with my grace.”

            “And every angel is now gonna know that I belong to Castiel,” Dean pointed out, smirking. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Cas was still unsure, which must have showed on his face. Seeing this, Dean leaned in and pressed his lips to the angel’s, earning a gagging sound effect from Lucifer.

            Cas slowly kissed him back. Dean’s lips were so gentle… nothing like how he had been acting since John’s death. He didn’t know how long Dean would be like this—if this was just a fluke or a sign that Dean was beginning to cope with the loss of his father. In that moment, Cas didn’t care. He opened up in to the kiss and accepted Dean’s love in that moment wholeheartedly. He kissed him back with all the passion he could muster. A small voice in Cas’s head said a prayer. _Please be okay, Dean… Please be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me this long guys! Hope you guys continue to enjoy the story as much as I do like writing it.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, just to give you all an estimate of how long this is going to be, I now have up to Chapter 62 planned. And at that stage, it is coming to a close, but is not entirely there yet. There are still several unfinished plotlines that need to be wrapped up. 
> 
> I am GUESSING, and this is a very rough estimate, that this story will have approximately 80-90 chapters. And the only reason for that is literally because there are so many different point of views that I have to cycle through.

            Dean’s arm stung a bit, but overall it wasn’t bad. His mind replayed the image of Cas with glowing, blue eyes smiting the soul that had grabbed onto Dean. He had looked like a true warrior of God in that moment, not like the nerdy, adorable Cas he’d come to know and love. In that moment, he was Castiel—black wings billowing behind him. The whole incident reminded Dean that Cas, while he might have been in a teenager’s vessel, was millions of years old, and a force to be reckoned with. And he was hot.

            Life had been hard on Dean Winchester the past few weeks. Hell, hard was an understatement. If it hadn’t been for Cas, Sam, and Bobby, Dean doubted he would have made it. They were the rock he clung to when the ocean came crashing down, pummeling him, and threatening to pull him out to sea. He still hurt inside—he didn’t know if that would ever go away—but at least he now had something to distract himself with: Lilith. That bitch would die—whether it be by his hand or someone else’s. Dean would make sure of it. There was no way he was ever going to stop until Lilith was dead and all those evil sons of bitches that ever hurt him or his father or his brother were dead.

            _I’m starting to sound like Dad,_ Dean thought ruefully. The mighty John Winchester—slain by the demon he’d been trying to hunt. A fitting death, sure. He went out with a bang, no pun intended. He died fighting. That’s what people talk about when someone young dies. They were brave. They went out fighting. They don’t talk about how terrifying it must have been for them in their last moments, right before they were killed. They don’t talk about how most of the time they piss themselves. That’s what Dean thought about—what went through his father’s head before he died; how scared he must have been. John Winchester died alone and probably scared and confused in an explosion. That’s what happened to him.

            But Dean was going to fix it. He was going to avenge his dad so John could rest in peace.

            They finally, after what seemed like an eternity, got to the room that Crowley had mentioned. The door was some kind of heavy metal that shimmered in the faint light that there was. It creaked loudly and scraped across the stone floor as it opened. Inside, there was a large, wooden pentagram standing upright. It towered high, even above Dean’s head, almost reaching the vaulted ceiling. A man was strapped to the pentagram, his arms and legs stretched outward towards the star’s points. The pentagram itself was located in the middle of a devil’s trap that was painted on the floor.

            Next to the devil’s trap was another man—tall, and kind of scrawny-looking. He had short, light brown hair that was thinning along his forehead, and the rough, scraggly beginnings of a beard. He smiled at the little group as they entered, and Dean didn’t miss the hunger in his eyes. There was a darkness in them that made even Crowley shudder a little bit. “Hello, Alastair,” the Scotsman greeted. “Everyone, this is Alastair, Hell’s Master Torturer.”

            Alastair walked over to a table where various weapons were laid out—demon-killing knives, salt, holy water, even a few angel blades. “I can’t go into our little circle there because of the devil’s trap,” the torturer explained. “Which is why I need some assistance, if anyone is willing.”

            Dean’s eyes flicked over to the demon who was strapped to the pentagram. His eyes were pitch black, and his lips were curled in a snarl as he overlooked the newcomers. “I’ll do it,” he volunteered, stepping forward. He felt Cas stiffen beside him, but the angel did not outwardly object.

            “Ahhh,” Alastair practically purred, stepping toward Dean. “So the human wants to get himself wet, does he?”

            As Dean stepped toward the weapon table, a hand latched onto his wrist. He spun around to be face-to-face with Cas’s cerulean eyes. “Dean,” the angel plead. “Please…” he looked like he wanted to say more, but the words simply wouldn’t come.

            The human avoided his gaze, looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, Cas.” He pulled out of Cas’s grip and went over to the table. Choosing a knife, he stepped into the devil’s trap. The demon’s black, soulless eyes glared at him in the dim light. “Where is Lilith?”

            When the demon didn’t respond, Dean pressed the knife’s blade to his cheek. “You know what this is?” he asked in a low, growly voice. “This is a demon-killing blade, which means its gonna hurt like hell when I start cutting into you. Now, I’ll ask you again, where is the bitch?”

            “Fuck you,” the demon snarled. He strained against his iron chains, making the large pentagram rattle.

            Dean’s jaw went taught as he pressed the knife’s edge into his skin. Blood began to run from the wound, dripping down onto the demon’s clothes. In that moment, Dean couldn’t even bring himself to be horrified by the fact that he enjoyed the way it screamed. It was so… satisfying to hear the monster—like the one who had killed his mother and father—suffer.

            The torture went on for ages. Dean took his turn, asking different questions, sometimes the others helping. Then, Dean felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Cas. Instead, it was Lucifer. The devil’s amber eyes held an undeterminable expression. “Why don’t you let me take over, Dean?” It was the first time Lucifer had ever called Dean by his real named and not “human” or “Winchester.” That was when Dean realized he was almost completely covered in blood. The demon he’d been interrogating was cut up badly, but slowly healing. Dean, his shoulders heaving with each breath, looked at his group of companions. The vampire was stone-faced and watching Lucifer instead. Crowley and Cas were both staring at Dean. Crowley’s expression was almost appraising, but also wary. Cas looked haunted and horrified all at once. Nevertheless, Dean’s angel—ever faithful and supportive—reached out for the human.

            “Dean,” Cas murmured, taking a step toward him.

            With a shaky breath, Dean dropped the knife and almost staggered toward Cas. The angel caught him before he could fall, wrapping the hunter in an embrace. Cas pulled away a bit so he could look the human in the eyes. “Dean,” he breathed. The blood disappeared and Dean was left trembling slightly.         

            The torture continued, this time with Lucifer and his vampire taking control. It wasn’t long until, to everyone’s surprise, it was the vampire who broke him. “I don’t know where Lilith is!” he gasped. “But I know she’s not far… She has… spies… in the school… in… everywhere… Close to… you…”

            Dean saw Lucifer straighten up. His eyes narrowed as he pulled out his own angel blade. “Thank you for your service,” he said hollowly, plunging the blade into the demon’s neck. Its eyes lit up the color of flames, and its body convulsed before slumping against the pentagram. Lucifer pulled out his blade and tucked it away in his jacket.

            “The hell you do that for?” Crowley hissed. “There was more he could tell us!”

            “No, he said enough,” the devil replied. “I could see it, that was all we would get out of him. And I think I know two of those spies he spoke of.”

            Dean’s brow furrowed as he thought of who that could be, then he realized. “Meg and that one demon that kept talking to Sam—Ruby.”


	43. Chapter 43

            “I guess you two already know each other,” Sam commented, looking back and forth between the two. The color had drained from Adam’s face as he stared at the demon who was relatively harmless. His half-brother gulped and tore his eyes away from Ruby to look at Sam.

            “Well, we know each other from a far,” Ruby corrected. She gave Adam a small smile—it sent an odd feeling shooting through Sam’s belly, almost like butterflies.

            Adam briefly glanced back at Ruby before focusing on his brother. “Sam… what the hell?”

            Sam’s brow furrowed. “What?”

            The much shorter boy looked almost agitated now. “Sam, she’s a _demon!_ What part of this, even remotely, seems like a _good_ idea? We’re _hunting_ demons!”

            _Oh._ Sam knew that he would meet some opposition when he brought Ruby into their fold, but he had to try. She wasn’t that bad—not really. In fact, she seemed just like them. She had feelings and she was just as concerned about the Lilith situation as the rest of them were. Sam had thought that maybe if he told Adam, he could convince him to help him out and be on his side in all this. He knew that Dean and probably Michael and Gabriel would be the biggest cynics of this plan. Sam had to admit, it kind of made him angry. “Oh, okay. So, working with _Crowley_ is okay, but we can’t work with Ruby?”

            Adam opened his mouth to say something, but shut it. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, as though he were afraid he was going to get caught in this potentially compromising position with a demon. “Crowley has as much reason to want Lilith dead, Sam. He was there when Lilith _threw you through a wall._ He saw it. She wants him dead too. We have a common enemy. We know nothing about this one. Sam… I _have_ to tell Michael.”

            “No, Adam, don’t!”

            Adam shook his head, almost ruefully. “Sam, I _have_ to. This… it’s too big—it’s too dangerous. We’re only human and we’re caught in a war between heaven and hell. We can’t be making deals with the enemy and welcoming them in!”

            Sam felt is face grow hot. Anger was boiling beneath the surface. Why didn’t Adam understand? Why didn’t any of them understand? _I’m just as much a monster as Ruby is. I’m just as much of a monster as any of those demons, and yet I can be good. I can fight for the angels even if I’m not one of them. So can Ruby._ His frustration and anger came spilling out as he growled at Adam. “Just because you weren’t raised to be a hunter, and you need Michael to protect you—”

            “This is _not_ about that, Sam! Even Dean wouldn’t want to do this, and you know it. Sam, just… this is not the way you need to do this. Just… call a meeting when everyone gets back from hell and just tell them. I mean… it would be best not to… sneak around like his.”

            Sam sighed in exasperation. “Adam—”

            “It’s okay, Sam,” Ruby interrupted. She approached Adam slowly, almost warily. Sam noted the way Ruby watched him carefully and made sure not to scare him. “Adam, I understand your unwillingness to trust me. Okay, believe me. I get it. I’m a demon. I’m not like you and Sam. I don’t have a whole, pure, human soul anymore… But I do remember what it’s like to be human… I remember what it’s like to love someone as much as you love that angel of yours… And I remember the pain I felt when I lost them. If Lilith wins… if she takes over hell, she will lay waste to _everyone_ and _everything_ that gets in her way. I don’t want that. I don’t want her to destroy half the world in her conquest just so she can wear some stupid crown.”

            Ruby glanced at Sam for a moment. Her dark eyes nearly struck him breathless. She _was_ rather beautiful. “I gave Sam my knife—there are only a few like it in existence and I had one. It can kill demons—not exorcise them, kill them. Take it as a… symbol of my trust. That knife is worth a lot and I gave it to you guys so you can better protect yourselves.”

            Adam did not respond to Ruby’s words. He just watched her warily, arms folded across his chest.

            “Look, you can trust me,” Ruby told him. Her voice held a faint trace of irritation. “If… If the wrong person saw me right now, talking to you two, I could die. Lilith would kill me—she’d torture me first, but she’d kill me. I’ve talked to Lilith. I’ve tried to get close to her to find out her plans. When I do, I can tell you guys so you can get the jump on her and kill the bitch. I am risking everything for this—not to mention there are _several_ members of your company who would shank me on sight.”

            The blond let out a small sigh and shook his head. His eyes found Sam’s; he still looked unconvinced. “Sam… I know that you mean well, okay… I _know_ that you want to help, I understand, okay? I feel helpless too… but there are other ways. Think of what Dean would say to this… or Gabriel. Gabriel might agree but…” Adam trailed off. Sam knew where he was going with it—Gabriel hated Ruby, especially after homecoming. He would never be okay with Sam spending time with her…

            Sam straightened up a little and cleared his throat. “Gabriel is going to have to grow up and get over it. We’re at war. If Ruby can help us, the information could be very valuable. Adam, tell me at least you see the benefit in this.”

            He nodded slowly. “I do… but…”

            “If you’re really worried about what the others will think,” Sam said, letting himself calm down a little. He knew deep down that Adam’s misgivings were reasonable. “We don’t have to tell them if you don’t want.”

            “No… Sam, sneaking around is even worse… Look, if you need my help… then I’ll help you. You’re my best friend and… well… I guess now my brother. But… I want to have as little involvement as possible.”

            Sam smiled. It was a start. “Okay, thank you, Adam. Ruby? Tell us what you know so far.”


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, one of my favorite things about this fic is the fact that I can write Lucifer. His deep thoughts and musings are rather interesting to write.

            Lucifer, Cas, Dean, Crowley, and Michaela headed back to Bobby’s house, leaving Alastair to finish up with the demon. The devil hung back and allowed Cas and Dean to go on ahead. He watched the way Cas wrapped his arm around Dean’s waist, guiding the exhausted human into the house. _Always the dutiful little guardian,_ Lucifer thought as he observed them. Dean leaned against Cas slightly, needing the support but not willing to admit so out loud.

            For a moment, just a moment, Lucifer wished that he could have something like that—a relationship that was so honest and trusted that he could show his weak side to them and have them understand. He wouldn’t have to ask for help, it would just be there. _Maybe…_ Lucifer stopped himself, shaking his head. _No… that’s not me. That’s not what I am. I’m Lucifer, dammit. The Prince of Darkness, the King of Rotten. I need to fucking act like it._

            His eyes drifted over and landed on Michaela. The vampire was very quiet, hardly ever saying a word, to him or anyone else for that matter. Lucifer enjoyed her presence, nonetheless. She was somewhat insane, which only made him like her even more. She wasn’t pestering or suffocating like Meg had been. She was pleasant company, and Lucifer found himself growing more and more fond of her. He didn’t even mind that she was pretty much his new, self-proclaimed girlfriend. He’d take her over Meg any day.

            As the rest of the group ventured into the house, Lucifer remained outside. He studied the Singer residence, only half-interested. He knew it was well-warded against demons, but it was still a human dwelling. There were imperfections that he knew Lilith could manage to work through. Now with Meg almost certainly on Lilith’s side and perhaps that other demon as well, things were getting more and more dangerous, for Lucifer in particular. Lilith was a powerful demon and a woman scorned. She had her mind set on coming after Lucifer and Crowley before her plan was complete. Meg was also ruthless and was certain to pay him a visit as well. He had to be ready.

            “Are you gonna head inside?” Michaela’s soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced toward her. The vampire was leaning against the side of the house, near the door, waiting for him. Her curly, dirty blond hair framed her face and shined almost gold in the porch lights. Twilight was quickly approaching as the sun dipped below the horizon.

            Lucifer shrugged in response to her question, smirking to himself. _Here I am, at twilight with a vampire. Maybe that Meyer chick should have written a book about the Devil falling in love with a vampire… Surely that would have been more entertaining._ “In a bit,” he told her. He heaved a sigh, kicking a rock out into the junkyard. Lucifer turned his back to Michaela and looked up at the stars. He found it silly how humans always imagined Heaven was in the sky. Heaven did not lie in Earth’s mortal plane. It existed separate and isolated, as did Hell. Of course, there were portals on Earth to both places, but they were not stairways to Heaven or highways to Hell. As he saw the stars begin to come out with the darkening autumn sky, Lucifer began to realize why humans always imagined Heaven in the sky. There was scarcely anything more beautiful than the stars, or large, puffy white clouds on a nice day. Lucifer never hated Earth. If anything, he loved it. He loved nature. He loved it because it was God’s purest creation. Why did everyone assume that he wanted to destroy it? Humans were the ones who kill the earth, not the Devil.

            “Is there something on your mind?” It was Michaela again. This time, she was beside him. If anyone else had persisted to ask him questions like this, he would have snapped at them. However, Lucifer couldn’t find it to be irritated with her.

            “I’m just thinking about Earth and Heaven, that’s all,” he murmured. “And, well… I guess I’m kind of worried.”

            She arched an eyebrow at him. “You? Lucifer? Worried?”

            He smirked a little at her disbelief. “Yes, I know. Hard to believe. I know what Lilith is. I know what she is capable of… and… For a long time, I told myself I was in this for self-preservation. Lilith is going to come after me anyway, Meg too. But now… I don’t know… I kind of feel… Like… There’s more to it than just that. I don’t _want_ Lilith to destroy Earth or Heaven, or even humanity. Don’t get me wrong, I still hate humans. They’re some of the worst, most selfish and vain beings ever created… But, my desire to see them be destroyed is gone. I’m completely indifferent to their survival. Earth, though… Earth is so beautiful and amazing and my Father’s most wonderful creation.” He paused and looked over at her. “My Father is gone, you know? He left Heaven. Left me. Left my siblings. I will most likely never see him again. The Earth… Heaven… All the things Lilith wants to destroy, they’re all I have left of him. And I can’t let her do that.” He looked back up at the stars, not even noticing that Michaela had taken his hand during his speech.

            It was strange, holding her hand. She was pale and cold, but it was strangely pleasant. He hardly ever shared such small but meaningful gestures with Meg, or anyone else before her. It felt nice to hold her hand… to just have her there with him.

            “You were impressive today,” he told her softly. Lucifer couldn’t bring himself to look over at her as he spoke the compliment. If he didn’t know better, he would have said his cheeks were growing hot. “Your torture techniques with the demon were brilliant.”

            She let out a small giggle. “Thank you, Satan.”

            He found himself chuckling at the nickname. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say ‘thank you, Satan’ directly to my face before.”

            “Well, I’m not just anyone,” she pointed out, her fingers tightening slightly around his.

            Lucifer turned and faced her then, smiling. “I guess not.” His smile slowly faded as his gray eyes met her brown ones. An unspoken exchange occurred that neither was able to explain. Without any warning, they both leaned in toward each other until their lips met.

            It was quick, only lasting a second and a half, maybe two. There was a flutter of wings, which made the two instantly break apart. Lucifer went on the defensive, stepping in front of Michaela, unsure why any angel would be visiting the Singer residence at this hour. To his surprise, it was none other than Michael. His older brother stood there, his massive, white wings folded behind him, but still visible. He looked between Lucifer and Michaela several times before clearing his throat. “Did I interrupt something, brother?”

           Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Get out of here, Michael.”

            “Judging by your tone, I take it I _did_ interrupt something.” The older archangel smirked as he observed the two lovers. “I just finished up warding the edges of the property. When you returned with the demon I filled in the wards so any others can get in. Bobby said to stop flying into the house. The humans can’t see it so they assume we just teleport everywhere and it makes them nervous.”

            Lucifer sighed. _Humans._ “I’ll keep that in mind. Wouldn’t want to scare the mortals.”

            Michael peered over Lucifer’s shoulder at Michaela, trying to get a better glimpse of the vampire. “Is this your new girlfriend, then?” he asked. “I saw her at the meeting, although we didn’t get to officially meet.”

            The vampire slowly edged out from behind Lucifer and waved at Michael. “I’m Michaela.”

            “Michaela?” Michael repeated. “How do you spell that?”

            She smiled a little and looked down. “It’s Michael with an A at the end.”

            Lucifer winced as he saw Michael’s eyes light up deviously. “Awe, that’s adorable, Luci. You loved your big brother so much you had to get a girlfriend with almost the exact same name. So precious.”

            “Shut your face, Michael,” the Devil snapped. He was not in the mood for Michael’s teasing.

            Michael smirked and opening his mouth to say more. The door crashed open, straining against the hinges. Crowley came out onto the porch. “Angelface and company, we have a little situation going on in here, so if you don’t mind…”

            Lucifer and Michael exchanged a look before heading inside, Michaela following them both. They followed Crowley up the stairs to the rooms where the Winchesters were staying. Lucifer could sense that there was something off. The tension that was coming from Sam’s room was almost corporeal it was so strong. When they reached the doorway, Lucifer knew why. There stood Sam, Adam, and the demon Ruby. Across from them was an absolutely livid Dean, and a frighteningly stone-faced Gabriel.

            _Well, this is not going to end well…_


End file.
